Wow, last weekend zipped right on by, didn't it?
After a tension filled weekend of getting the kiddo to First Communion rehearsal, house cleaned, cooking class, getting food ready (Thank you, Sam's Club and Panera!), early Sunday mass with the First Communicants, group pictures, individual pics and the local family gathering (15 adults & 3 kids) we relaxed by going to see Wolverine (naked Hugh Jackman is yummy!)and eating pizza. We all got in our jammies early and took it easy the rest of the night.
So, of course, when we got up this morning the kiddo was sick: fever, headache, body aches, coughing, etc. Called school. Called doctor's office. And lo! and Behold! got an appointment for 9:15. Of course there's nothing they can do if she has a flu except verify the fact. So instead of doing the saline blow the snot out test, they did a PNP. Poor Kiddo! If you don't know what a PNP is here's the gist: they ram a small swab with a flexible wire up the patient's nose into their sinuses. This is a pretty tough kiddo, but it brought even her to tears. Poor baby. We barely got home when the school called wondering about her--uh, the school has NEVER called to ask about her welfare. Guess everyone is a tad gun shy about the Swine Flu. Anyway, I hope to hear about the preliminary flu testing by the end of the day.
Other than this I'm thinking about my picture books. With the help of my buddy, Silver James, she managed to get my mind functioning again with some wonderful ideas that I can use. I think the key for her was when I say Piper was like the Amelia Bedelia of Faerie World (uh, no not the one that Timmy Turner goes to. . . uh, The Fairy Oddparents for those of you without kiddos). Anyhoo, I've got some ideas which is better than where I was a couple of days ago! YAY!
Doubt if I'll get any writing done today, other than my mandatory 100 word challenge that I issued to Ash. I can't back out of my own Challenge, can I?? As I have laundry, more laundry . . . wait for it,. . . and IRONING.
Ah, the life of a stay at home mom. I've got the kiddo working on her thank you notes, then she can watch TV for a while until time each lunch. I'll have her read a couple of books this afternoon--besides she needs to read my faerie picture book anyway since it was her idea to write it in the first place!
5/4/09
5/1/09
NaPiBoWriWee--What the Heck is That?
Unless you live under a rock or don't have Internet every writer knows November is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. So what the heck is NaPiBoWriWee? (Boy, I'm cutting and pasting that word from now on! It's hard with all those capitals.)
NaPiBoWriWee is Paula Yoo's answer to NaNoWriMo, National Picture Book Writing Week. I found her blog through Alice's CWIM blog. See I'm doing research when I blog hop. :-) Hey, It's my blog, I can lie if I want to. So Paula's challenge is to write seven picture books in seven days.
I thought, "Why not?" and signed up. When I told hubster he had a different reaction, and wondered why I would want to add stress to my life.
Uh, stress? What freaking stress? I don't have no stinkin' stress! The only stress in my life is if my kiddo will somehow goof off, or faint, during her First Communion this Sunday. And I don't see that happening. Or we run out of food when we have family over for brunch afterwards. Okay, that's possible, but unlikely as we tend to have more food around than anyone I know!
So I have to write 7 picture books with a word count anywhere from 50-2000 words per book, and I have to have them finished by May 7th. And I only have two titles, translate that to two ideas and they aren't really formulated yet. Yeah, I've got a lot of thinking to do. HALP!
Okay-dokey. This weekend is out--uh, see above, daughter's First Communion and then family brunch (18 people) on Sunday, which means, shopping and prepping the food and cleaning house on Saturday, plus taking the kiddo to cooking class at the Savory Chef followed by a soccer game (that we have to stay and watch--another 1 1/2 hours lost, including driving time) provided the rain lets up enough so the kids aren't playing mud soccer. Whew! How do you like THAT sentence?!
Uh, I gotta go brainstorm in the shower. . . and during my workout. . . and during the walk to school. Argh! Blank page staring at me . . . Going nutso . . .
Write on!
NaPiBoWriWee is Paula Yoo's answer to NaNoWriMo, National Picture Book Writing Week. I found her blog through Alice's CWIM blog. See I'm doing research when I blog hop. :-) Hey, It's my blog, I can lie if I want to. So Paula's challenge is to write seven picture books in seven days.
I thought, "Why not?" and signed up. When I told hubster he had a different reaction, and wondered why I would want to add stress to my life.
Uh, stress? What freaking stress? I don't have no stinkin' stress! The only stress in my life is if my kiddo will somehow goof off, or faint, during her First Communion this Sunday. And I don't see that happening. Or we run out of food when we have family over for brunch afterwards. Okay, that's possible, but unlikely as we tend to have more food around than anyone I know!
So I have to write 7 picture books with a word count anywhere from 50-2000 words per book, and I have to have them finished by May 7th. And I only have two titles, translate that to two ideas and they aren't really formulated yet. Yeah, I've got a lot of thinking to do. HALP!
Okay-dokey. This weekend is out--uh, see above, daughter's First Communion and then family brunch (18 people) on Sunday, which means, shopping and prepping the food and cleaning house on Saturday, plus taking the kiddo to cooking class at the Savory Chef followed by a soccer game (that we have to stay and watch--another 1 1/2 hours lost, including driving time) provided the rain lets up enough so the kids aren't playing mud soccer. Whew! How do you like THAT sentence?!
Uh, I gotta go brainstorm in the shower. . . and during my workout. . . and during the walk to school. Argh! Blank page staring at me . . . Going nutso . . .
Write on!
4/28/09
Can Writers Still Enjoy Reading?
Jody asked: "Since you are a writer and are accustomed to dissecting your own work, does it affect your enjoyment of reading? Are you able to be a mere reader, or do you find yourself dissecting characters, plots, dialogue, etc etc when you read? Can you just take off your "writer" hat and enjoy?"
The short answer to this question is: Yes, we can still enjoy reading. In fact, many writers are voracious readers. If we want to stay in the game we need to read what is being published in the genre in which we are writing, but we have to take into consideration that these 'current' books were actually bought two years ago.
But I've also found that I'm less tolerant of slow pacing, characters I can't get into, dialogue that causes me to roll my eyes while reading, unrealistic setups or stupid plots. Yep, all those books get published. I used to plow through a book until the story got good, but now I don't have the time, or inclination, to waste on books that don't excite me. And this goes for debut authors as well as multi-published authors. Even big name, NYT best-selling authors write clinker books, BUT they already have a fan base and I doubt if their crappy books will effect their overall sales--unless they keep producing crappy books.
When I discover an author that I enjoy reading, I'm swept away by the story. I put on blinders, and a 'do not disturb' placket is hung around my neck. Do not try to converse with me. Do not ask me questions if you honestly expect answers. Do not expect dinner to get cooked--the phone number for Savastano's pizzeria is on the fridge. LEAVE ME ALONE!
Yep, those are the best books, and I keep them to reread over and over again. I know the hero and heroine are going to get together, or Harry Dresden will survive to be in another book--I reread for the journey, the roller coaster ride.
Does it take more to engage me now that I'm a writer. No, just a damn good story--and it doesn't have to be published. I've fallen in love with unpublished writers when I've judged their entries in a contest. If the story makes me forget I'm reading a story, then the writer has done his/her job and I'm a happy reader.
What do my writing friends think? Please chime in with your opinion!
Oh, I finally finished (it was hard!) my faerie picture book (PB)! YAY! Now, I can finish writing my middle grade novel, while the PB ages like fine Cab. :-)
Write on!
The short answer to this question is: Yes, we can still enjoy reading. In fact, many writers are voracious readers. If we want to stay in the game we need to read what is being published in the genre in which we are writing, but we have to take into consideration that these 'current' books were actually bought two years ago.
But I've also found that I'm less tolerant of slow pacing, characters I can't get into, dialogue that causes me to roll my eyes while reading, unrealistic setups or stupid plots. Yep, all those books get published. I used to plow through a book until the story got good, but now I don't have the time, or inclination, to waste on books that don't excite me. And this goes for debut authors as well as multi-published authors. Even big name, NYT best-selling authors write clinker books, BUT they already have a fan base and I doubt if their crappy books will effect their overall sales--unless they keep producing crappy books.
When I discover an author that I enjoy reading, I'm swept away by the story. I put on blinders, and a 'do not disturb' placket is hung around my neck. Do not try to converse with me. Do not ask me questions if you honestly expect answers. Do not expect dinner to get cooked--the phone number for Savastano's pizzeria is on the fridge. LEAVE ME ALONE!
Yep, those are the best books, and I keep them to reread over and over again. I know the hero and heroine are going to get together, or Harry Dresden will survive to be in another book--I reread for the journey, the roller coaster ride.
Does it take more to engage me now that I'm a writer. No, just a damn good story--and it doesn't have to be published. I've fallen in love with unpublished writers when I've judged their entries in a contest. If the story makes me forget I'm reading a story, then the writer has done his/her job and I'm a happy reader.
What do my writing friends think? Please chime in with your opinion!
Oh, I finally finished (it was hard!) my faerie picture book (PB)! YAY! Now, I can finish writing my middle grade novel, while the PB ages like fine Cab. :-)
Write on!
4/27/09
Offing Characters
I commented on my facebook account that I found a way for my elf to get around a dragon without becoming dragon chow. One of my writer buds, Ash I think, wondered why I didn't simply kill the dragon. LOL She knows me too well. As much as I love offing my characters in new and unusual ways, it isn't always to the benefit of the character or story.
Killing the dragon would have been too easy--especially since said dragon was 'sleeping'. Those familiar with dragonlore know they never really 'sleep'. Besides I don't like my characters to find the easy way out. It becomes too deus et machina (I think this is the correct spelling), basically, God willed or intervened. The character doesn't grow or learn if God takes care of every little problem. The character must figure it out on his own and make a decision, whether right or wrong. Sometimes the character needs to make a few wrong decisions before he can make the right choice. Thus the character arc is born.
From 500 word picture books to 100,000 word novels (I've written both), a character must grow within the confines of the story to become more than what he was at the beginning. The path is never straight. Wrong turns are a part of building the character, making the character interesting and unique. Even series characters, Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher leap to mind, grow and arc, during each book and over the course of the series.
Besides I can't kill this dragon. I like him. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW I'll need to kill my babies, but I don't think it would serve a purpose at this time. I need to come up with a draconic name because I see him being in a few more books in the future.
All I need to do is find the time to write this part of the story. Life intervened over the weekend, and I wrote all of 46 words. *sigh* And this week won't be much better, but I'll try my best to write the scene. And then I have to chop my 2,000 word picture book down to 1,000 words.
But for now--Write on!
Killing the dragon would have been too easy--especially since said dragon was 'sleeping'. Those familiar with dragonlore know they never really 'sleep'. Besides I don't like my characters to find the easy way out. It becomes too deus et machina (I think this is the correct spelling), basically, God willed or intervened. The character doesn't grow or learn if God takes care of every little problem. The character must figure it out on his own and make a decision, whether right or wrong. Sometimes the character needs to make a few wrong decisions before he can make the right choice. Thus the character arc is born.
From 500 word picture books to 100,000 word novels (I've written both), a character must grow within the confines of the story to become more than what he was at the beginning. The path is never straight. Wrong turns are a part of building the character, making the character interesting and unique. Even series characters, Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher leap to mind, grow and arc, during each book and over the course of the series.
Besides I can't kill this dragon. I like him. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW I'll need to kill my babies, but I don't think it would serve a purpose at this time. I need to come up with a draconic name because I see him being in a few more books in the future.
All I need to do is find the time to write this part of the story. Life intervened over the weekend, and I wrote all of 46 words. *sigh* And this week won't be much better, but I'll try my best to write the scene. And then I have to chop my 2,000 word picture book down to 1,000 words.
But for now--Write on!
4/24/09
Queryland. . . again
I've been angsting over my children's story, so I decided to start pimping my picture book/easy reader, Peter's Messy Room. I'd tweaked, edited, reworked it so I would have the appropriate number of pictures with pages, cut my word count, etc. It was time to let go.
Two days ago I started researching literary agents specializing in children's books. My primary site is Agent Query. And from there I investigate the agency website, decide which agent to target within the larger agencies and verify their status with Preditors and Editors. Even with all my careful preparation one of my queries was sent to an agent no longer at the agency. This agent's name is still plastered all over the agency's website. I did my research, so why can't agencies keep their website updated?
Yesterday, I submitted to 19 agencies electronically. I personalized each salutation, verified each agent, and most of them wanted to have picture book text pasted into the email. Awesome, not a problem. I had to remove two agents from the pile because they only represent middle-grade and above stories, NOT picture books. Okay, I'll save them for my Missing Gnome story. Speaking of that, I need to get my butt in gear and finish the silly thing. I'm 1/4 of the way through, so I need to keep on writing.
So far, I have had (updated) five rejections on PMR. I'd rather have quick rejections than wait for the 'no response from us means no' mindset. THAT drives me crazy! How hard is it to click reply and say "no thanks"??? But this topic is definitely a whole other blog. And many fine agents have addressed this issue on their blogs within the last month. One of the queries I sent happened to be to an agent that I sent this query to in Jan---uh, OOPS! I didn't think I sent PMR to anyone. Guess I should have checked my list a little better, huh? This was one of those agents who don't respond unless interested, which fits my point--how do I even KNOW she got the first email? :-) I think I'll chock that one up as a no request.
Today, I'll be snail mail querying. I have seven agents who still require writers to kill trees. Personalizing these letters, addressing envelopes, and making certain I have stamped SASE's takes a little more time, but I should have it finished in an hour or so. And once they are out the door, I can forget about PMR. I have a list of things I need to do: finish my @#%@#$%@# faerie story, write on my middle grade story, and fill out a character profiling chart on my urban fantasy heroine that I'd like to make into a series of seven books.
What are my odds of gaining the interest of an agent?
Slim to none. I don't have unrealistic hopes. I've been in this writing biz long enough to know the odds are not in my favor. I really, really like this story, BUT I honestly don't think it is 'different enough' for the current market. When I attended a SCBWI conference last month, Abigail Samoun of Tricycle Press had some depressing statistics. Last year Tricycle had over 7000 slush pile submissions, of that number they published 3, only 0.0004% of those submissions were published.
Yeah, those aren't very good odds. But writers do what they have to do--they write.
Write on!
Two days ago I started researching literary agents specializing in children's books. My primary site is Agent Query. And from there I investigate the agency website, decide which agent to target within the larger agencies and verify their status with Preditors and Editors. Even with all my careful preparation one of my queries was sent to an agent no longer at the agency. This agent's name is still plastered all over the agency's website. I did my research, so why can't agencies keep their website updated?
Yesterday, I submitted to 19 agencies electronically. I personalized each salutation, verified each agent, and most of them wanted to have picture book text pasted into the email. Awesome, not a problem. I had to remove two agents from the pile because they only represent middle-grade and above stories, NOT picture books. Okay, I'll save them for my Missing Gnome story. Speaking of that, I need to get my butt in gear and finish the silly thing. I'm 1/4 of the way through, so I need to keep on writing.
So far, I have had (updated) five rejections on PMR. I'd rather have quick rejections than wait for the 'no response from us means no' mindset. THAT drives me crazy! How hard is it to click reply and say "no thanks"??? But this topic is definitely a whole other blog. And many fine agents have addressed this issue on their blogs within the last month. One of the queries I sent happened to be to an agent that I sent this query to in Jan---uh, OOPS! I didn't think I sent PMR to anyone. Guess I should have checked my list a little better, huh? This was one of those agents who don't respond unless interested, which fits my point--how do I even KNOW she got the first email? :-) I think I'll chock that one up as a no request.
Today, I'll be snail mail querying. I have seven agents who still require writers to kill trees. Personalizing these letters, addressing envelopes, and making certain I have stamped SASE's takes a little more time, but I should have it finished in an hour or so. And once they are out the door, I can forget about PMR. I have a list of things I need to do: finish my @#%@#$%@# faerie story, write on my middle grade story, and fill out a character profiling chart on my urban fantasy heroine that I'd like to make into a series of seven books.
What are my odds of gaining the interest of an agent?
Slim to none. I don't have unrealistic hopes. I've been in this writing biz long enough to know the odds are not in my favor. I really, really like this story, BUT I honestly don't think it is 'different enough' for the current market. When I attended a SCBWI conference last month, Abigail Samoun of Tricycle Press had some depressing statistics. Last year Tricycle had over 7000 slush pile submissions, of that number they published 3, only 0.0004% of those submissions were published.
Yeah, those aren't very good odds. But writers do what they have to do--they write.
Write on!
4/22/09
Earth Day 2009
Short and sweet today!
Turn off your computers and write with pen on paper. . . that millions of trees have been destroyed to make.
Okay, let's try again. Read a book. That was made from millions of destroyed trees. Download an e-book. . . oops, using electricity again.
Go for a walk. Enjoy the sunshine--oops, unless y'all are getting much needed rain for your gardens. Hey, that's one, enjoy working in the garden, but fertilize with organic products--read that as cow, horse, or sheep poop. :-)
If you don't have to drive anywhere--don't. If you do, then plan your most efficient route and take right hand turns. One, they are easier. Two, they are faster than sitting and waiting for a break in traffic. Think about how long you have to sit with your car idling while you wait.
Uh, I printed out tons of agent info yesterday so I can query them today--does that count? Plus I want to finish a Dresden book. Plus I need to work on my sun worshiping. I think I can have a full day without using electricity or driving.
What about you? What are you going to do today that might be earth friendly?
Simply try your best to be as earth friendly as possible today.
Turn off your computers and write with pen on paper. . . that millions of trees have been destroyed to make.
Okay, let's try again. Read a book. That was made from millions of destroyed trees. Download an e-book. . . oops, using electricity again.
Go for a walk. Enjoy the sunshine--oops, unless y'all are getting much needed rain for your gardens. Hey, that's one, enjoy working in the garden, but fertilize with organic products--read that as cow, horse, or sheep poop. :-)
If you don't have to drive anywhere--don't. If you do, then plan your most efficient route and take right hand turns. One, they are easier. Two, they are faster than sitting and waiting for a break in traffic. Think about how long you have to sit with your car idling while you wait.
Uh, I printed out tons of agent info yesterday so I can query them today--does that count? Plus I want to finish a Dresden book. Plus I need to work on my sun worshiping. I think I can have a full day without using electricity or driving.
What about you? What are you going to do today that might be earth friendly?
Simply try your best to be as earth friendly as possible today.
4/20/09
Contest Results
are in for the Fab Five!
Uh, no, I didn't final with Demon Within, but I had some great feedback. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't delete the email. I've been spammed a lot recently and didn't recognize the sender with attachments, too. And all that was in the subject line was 'Fab Five', not 'Fab Five contest'. For all I knew it could have been some new weight-loss supplement, Canadian pharmaceutical, or new penile implant.
Basically, I placed eleventh out of twenty-four, but the finalist's scores ranged from a 57, out of 60, to 55. I scored an average of 53.5. Not too shabby for a new story that no one has seen or critted. My scores were 55, 52, and 44. Guess who scored the 44?--an RWA Pro (Pro is a designation within RWA of a writer who finished a manuscript and is actively shopping it around). In general, unpublished writers tend to be stingier with their scoring. But the lowest score is dropped so it doesn't really matter. And I wouldn't have finaled anyway even if she'd scored me higher.
But this blog isn't about not finaling, or horrible contest judges, or crappy score sheets, or judges who score low but don't comment. Those topics are fodder for another blog on another day.
This blog is about how this contest and judges did it all RIGHT.
Yep, I HEART this contest. Why?
1) the score sheets were straight forward and fairly generic, which was why I entered this contest in the first place. This story isn't a romance. So I didn't get dinged for not having the hero or heroine meet in the first few pages. The questions were very open-ended which allow the judges to evaluate the entry based on merit and not some preset criteria.
2) Simple scoring system--ten points per question, six questions: opening, characterization, plot, dialogue, setting, and style. There are some guideline questions under each header for the judges to follow, but only one score per question.
3) Three judges, one dropped score. Built in discrepancy judging. The contest can keep to it's preset timeline. Oh, I'm sure there is still the rogue judge or two, but I bet they kept it to a minimum. And when you have to use a discrepancy judge it's usually AFTER the deadline, increasing your timeline.
4) Mixture of judges. Most contests shoot for one published author per entry, but it doesn't always happen. I'm pleased that the judges marked their published/non published status. I had published in romance, published in other, and PRO.
5) All the judges commented. For those of us who enter contest, you know this is a freakin' rarity! Most contests require the judge to comment if they score below a certain number, but many judges don't comment if they score above that preset number.
6) This one is personal to me. All three judges found the same problems with the manuscript. Now, remember, this story hasn't been looked at by anyone. I had totally rewritten it after I got a two page rejection from Deb Dixon and I wanted some feedback before I continued in this new direction with the story.
I. AM. STOKED.
This doesn't happen very often, but when it does it validates you as a writer. Yes, I still have some issues, but three separate people saw the SAME problems. Repetition and a flashback scene that slowed the pacing. I know how to take care of the flashback. It is needed, but I'll find a better spot for it. And repetition is a common mistake for writers. I'll just take my sharp Kyocera ceramic knife and do a little slicing and dicing!
Kudos to the Fab Five contest! Good Luck to all the finalists!
Write On!
Uh, no, I didn't final with Demon Within, but I had some great feedback. Actually, I'm surprised I didn't delete the email. I've been spammed a lot recently and didn't recognize the sender with attachments, too. And all that was in the subject line was 'Fab Five', not 'Fab Five contest'. For all I knew it could have been some new weight-loss supplement, Canadian pharmaceutical, or new penile implant.
Basically, I placed eleventh out of twenty-four, but the finalist's scores ranged from a 57, out of 60, to 55. I scored an average of 53.5. Not too shabby for a new story that no one has seen or critted. My scores were 55, 52, and 44. Guess who scored the 44?--an RWA Pro (Pro is a designation within RWA of a writer who finished a manuscript and is actively shopping it around). In general, unpublished writers tend to be stingier with their scoring. But the lowest score is dropped so it doesn't really matter. And I wouldn't have finaled anyway even if she'd scored me higher.
But this blog isn't about not finaling, or horrible contest judges, or crappy score sheets, or judges who score low but don't comment. Those topics are fodder for another blog on another day.
This blog is about how this contest and judges did it all RIGHT.
Yep, I HEART this contest. Why?
1) the score sheets were straight forward and fairly generic, which was why I entered this contest in the first place. This story isn't a romance. So I didn't get dinged for not having the hero or heroine meet in the first few pages. The questions were very open-ended which allow the judges to evaluate the entry based on merit and not some preset criteria.
2) Simple scoring system--ten points per question, six questions: opening, characterization, plot, dialogue, setting, and style. There are some guideline questions under each header for the judges to follow, but only one score per question.
3) Three judges, one dropped score. Built in discrepancy judging. The contest can keep to it's preset timeline. Oh, I'm sure there is still the rogue judge or two, but I bet they kept it to a minimum. And when you have to use a discrepancy judge it's usually AFTER the deadline, increasing your timeline.
4) Mixture of judges. Most contests shoot for one published author per entry, but it doesn't always happen. I'm pleased that the judges marked their published/non published status. I had published in romance, published in other, and PRO.
5) All the judges commented. For those of us who enter contest, you know this is a freakin' rarity! Most contests require the judge to comment if they score below a certain number, but many judges don't comment if they score above that preset number.
6) This one is personal to me. All three judges found the same problems with the manuscript. Now, remember, this story hasn't been looked at by anyone. I had totally rewritten it after I got a two page rejection from Deb Dixon and I wanted some feedback before I continued in this new direction with the story.
I. AM. STOKED.
This doesn't happen very often, but when it does it validates you as a writer. Yes, I still have some issues, but three separate people saw the SAME problems. Repetition and a flashback scene that slowed the pacing. I know how to take care of the flashback. It is needed, but I'll find a better spot for it. And repetition is a common mistake for writers. I'll just take my sharp Kyocera ceramic knife and do a little slicing and dicing!
Kudos to the Fab Five contest! Good Luck to all the finalists!
Write On!
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