Final Week of May #writemotivation

I had a slow week last week, but here in the home stretch I’m making up for it. I had to prepare a submission for the SCBWI LA conference at the last minute since their deadline moved up this year to the end of May and I just paid for the conference about a week ago. Nothing like an impending deadline to get all fired up and work like mad. My submission made it just in time. Woohoo!

The recovery effort in Oklahoma is still ongoing. For those of you who are interested, you can still participate in Kate Messner’s  KidLitCares for Oklahoma giveaway. It’s open until June 7th. Great cause, great giveaway, so check it out. There’s also a way you can help replenish the classroom libraries of the two schools that were destroyed in the tornado by visiting the Moore Books for Moore Kids Facebook page and making a donation.

On to my goal progress:

1. Complete latest draft of Museum Crashers (MG mystery) and prepare for submission. More progress made, but still short of the finish. I’ll have to really push hard to reach the end soon. I’m still happy with the progress I’ve made. I will definitely be sending this out next month.
2. Research more literary agents for submission of Institutionalized (YA contemporary) and send out to five of them. I have the short list. I will work on the personalized queries over the next few days and start sending them out.
3. Make some progress on first draft of Pretty Vacant (YA contemporary). Develop main character fully and decide which way story arc will go. More research and more reading done. I really have a good feel for the main character now. I’m excited about starting this project.
4. Exercise 3 times each week. Exercise has been going well. Still on the lighter side. My daughter and I are going to ramp it up next month by joining a gym and being each others work out buddies.

I hope you’re all doing well with your goals. Let’s meet up again in June for the next #writemotivation month! Sign up now!

Motivational quote for the day:

“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”

- Frank Capra

March #writemotivation check in

The back and forth weather this time of year leaves me feeling a bit discombobulated. One day I’m busting out the shorts and blinding people with the neon glow of my wintered legs, and the next I’m back in many-layered winter gear, building a fire to take off the chill. It’s like spring needs to throw us a few misfires, teasers of the warmer days ahead, before she can come on full-strength. I feel my writing progress this week had behaved in a similar manner. I’ve had bursts of manic activity followed by sludgy moments where I’ve had to wade through mental muck to get anything accomplished. My brain needs a thorough spring cleaning – or a nice vacation. That would do in a pinch. I know warmer days are ahead, even if I have to survive a few more frosty ones to reach them. Some days, that’s the only thing that gets me out of my PJs.

This week’s #writemotivation goal progress:

1. Complete revision of Middle Grade manuscript (Museum Crashers) and prepare for final critiques. I revised three more chapters, so I’m almost halfway done. I may need more days with bursts of creative energy to get me through the month and reach this goal. (I want those #writemotivation cookies!)

2. Continue making progress on first draft of new Young Adult manuscript (Pretty Vacant). Not much progress made on this one. I had my critique group meeting this week, so any time not spent on my first goal was spent on critiquing. Never wasted time.

3. Follow up on submissions outstanding for Young Adult manuscript (Institutionalized) and pursue any additional avenues that arise. I did start working on my new short list of potential submission candidates. Yay! Progress made.
4. Exercise at least three times a week. Only exercised two times. Not terrible, but not stupendous either.

Don’t forget to check out KT Hanna’s #writemotivation page to sign up for April. It should be available soon. That way you can join us next month and share your goals. The more, the merrier!

Using Writing Prompts and a #writemotivation Update

I’ve had a pretty productive week on the writing front and not all of that frenetic activity was related to my goals. I worked on a submission for a scholarship entry that was based on a writing prompt. I used to hate writing from prompts, maybe because I’m not great at taking direction. Or maybe because I don’t like limits and restrictions on what I can write. Most of my writing ideas have come to me out of the blue and I have to write them down before they evaporate into the creative ether from whence they came. But then this past summer I heard Kate Messner talk at the SCBWI LA Conference about how she gets her ideas for picture books. She said that sure, some of her ideas come to her out of the blue, but why wait for those rare moments? Why not work at generating them? She gave everyone present her secret matrix for brainstorming ideas and then made us try it out. Within five minutes, I actually had some possible picture book ideas – not that I’m ready to write picture books just yet, but that is a goal I have in the future.

Kate said: “Many picture book authors write lots of crappy picture book manuscripts because it stirs the pot of creativity!” Sometimes while you’re working like this, it can facilitate an actual “fall from the sky idea”. Either way, it’s a great thing to do while you’re waiting for inspiration to strike. Kate does this about twice a week to stir up new ideas.

Ever since that talk, I’ve looked at writing prompts in a different light. Speaking of prompts generating ideas, the one I used for the scholarship entry definitely sparked an idea for a new novel. I got so excited about it that I may sketch it out a little more before pursuing my other first draft novel I’ve already started. Which idea will win out? We shall see.

I know I can’t share Kate’s matrix, but I won’t leave you empty-handed. Here are two sites to get you started if you want to give writing prompts a try.

• The first is from the Poet’s & Writer’s website. They post a prompt each week, one for poetry and one for fiction.
• The second is from a teacher’s tumblr page simply called Writing Prompts, where he posts his daily writing prompts that he uses in class. He describes his teaching style as “Nerdfighteria takes over The Colbert Report with Ira Glass as a guest.” Wicked awesome. You can even donate books to his classroom library to help support his cause. I’d say it’s a right worthy one.

So what about you? Do you use writing prompts to kick-start ideas? Do you despise them? Share your thoughts.

On to this week’s goal progress:

1. Complete revision of Middle Grade manuscript (Museum Crashers) and prepare for final critiques. I revised four chapters out of eighteen which is right on track with my goal to finish a complete revision by the end of the month.
2. Continue making progress on first draft of new Young Adult manuscript (Pretty Vacant). I didn’t work on this at all last week. Okay, I did make some mental progress, which does count in my book, but next week I want some physical progress down on paper.
3. Follow up on submissions outstanding for Young Adult manuscript (Institutionalized) and pursue any additional avenues that arise. The time limit for an exclusive submission hadn’t quite run out, so I did nothing but wait this past week. Waiting is the worst, isn’t it? Next week is a different story. Action will be required.
4. Exercise at least three times a week. Woohoo! I did make this goal. That explains why I’m so sore. Everywhere.

Hope you’re all making headway on your goals as well. Looks like spring’s making an appearance this week. As the kids have some time off from school, I’m sure I’ll be making at least one trip out to our local zoo in between making time for the writing. Have a great week!

March Madness Begins with the Return of #writemotivation!

Sorry if you were looking for something sports related, but this is my kind of March madness – authors going crazy with writing goals. Woohoo! Besides, I’ve always enjoyed being a participator more than a spectator when it comes to sports. I did manage to pay attention to my kids’ games much easier than any football/basketball game I was forced er…encouraged to watch – this IS Oklahoma, after all. Football is the American pastime here. (I would say it approaches the reverence of a religious fervor if it wouldn’t cause a holy ruckus. Halleluiah, Amen!) And now that we have a fantastic national basketball team, we’ve embraced that sport with the same frenzy. But I digress…

K.T. Hanna started this wonderful writer’s support group called #writemotivation which is all about sharing your writing goals and cheering on your fellow writers as they pursue their goals. You can learn more about it here. This year, she’s expanding #writemotivation to every month instead of every other month because she knows we falter when she’s not around – as the first few months of this year can testify. (She’s been busy with the task of tending to her very first youngling. What a lucky little girl! And such cute chubby cheeks! You just want to pinch them or gobble her right up.) Ugh! I digress, yet again…

I know I speak for many in the group when I say I am grateful for K.T. and her #writemotivation cookies for helping me stay accountable and keeping my butt in the chair to do what I should be doing…WRITING! Feel free to join in for April – heck, if you’re on Twitter and you need a little encouragement to get through your writing day, pop on over to our hashtag, #writemotivation, and say hi. We’re a friendly group that rarely bites.

On to my goals!

(See? No more digression. It’s working already)

1. Complete revision of Middle Grade manuscript (Museum Crashers) and prepare for final critiques.
2. Continue making progress on first draft of new Young Adult manuscript (Pretty Vacant).
3. Follow up on submissions outstanding for Young Adult manuscript (Institutionalized) and pursue any additional avenues that arise.
4. Exercise at least three times a week.

Okay, who snuck that last one on there? Blech! The rest my goals aren’t that mad and should be attainable as long as I keep my butt in the chair and get the work done. See you at the hashtag for motivational tweets, my fellow writers!

Stay tuned next week for an update on how well I’m keeping up with these goals. And let me know what your goals are this month. Or tell me why I should care more about sports. It will have to be a good argument, but let it rip…

Are There Really Perks to Being a Wallflower? A Contemplative Book Review

My most recent WIP deals with some pretty heavy topics – sexual abuse, drug use, sociopaths up to no good, pre-marital what? – and it all takes place in a treatment center for teens. Needless to say, I’ve received some unusual must-read book recommendations from other writers when they’ve learned about the subject matter. I do love reading books that are similar to what I’m writing – it’s actually important to do this for many reasons, but I won’t go into that now; I’ve already talked about why as a writer you should read here and here.

Some of the suggested reads were fantastic, some were okay, and some were totally awful and unrealistic – having worked in a psychiatric facility with teens, it really makes me crazy (no pun intended) when someone who hasn’t done their homework spouts off a bunch of bullshit that a reader might actually take seriously. Sorry, major pet peeve.

I’ve also read so many depressing books over the past few years, that I think I need to write a romantic comedy for my next book. I’m in need of a little lightness of being, if you know what I’m saying. (Hint, hint: Give me some funny book suggestions – please!)

One recent book recommendation that came from several sources was a delightful surprise: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

standing on the fringes of life . . .

offers a unique perspective. but there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

the perks of being a wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. the world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. of sex, drugs, and the rocky horror picture show.

of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

The voice of this story was so spot on.

We fumble right along with Charlie (whose name isn’t really Charlie, but it’s the only name we’re ever given) as he navigates his first year of high school, hoping to find a friend after his only friend committed suicide. We feel the awkwardness of his first relationship and the heartache of love unrequited. Charlie is such an unusual and memorable character. We can tell from early on that his brain doesn’t work quite like everyone else’s just by the way he describes the scenes of his life events; we as the readers get some of the social cues that he totally misses. We also are left to piece some things together that are too painful for Charlie to talk about. Once we do, his eccentricities and aggressive outbursts make a lot more sense. The music references added such a nice layer of detail and brought back so many memories. I love that the story is set in the 90s – well, it was written in the late 90s, so of course it felt authentic to the time – but whatever, the story still feels relevant for today.

What made this story so intriguing, so intimate, was the letter-writing format. Charlie can’t confide in anyone he knows, but he needs to get some things off his chest, so he writes about his life through a series of letters to an anonymous stranger that he heard others talk of fondly in passing. Somehow he thinks this means the person he’s writing to will understand him. This person is never named, only called, “Dear Friend”. Although some stories written in letter or diary format can lose a sense of closeness when we only “see” events after they’ve happened or learn about them through hearsay, this one does not let us down. I really enjoyed watching how Charlie’s letter-writing evolved throughout the story, once his English teacher tutors him, takes him under his wing, to expand on the innate ability he recognizes in Charlie.

An overall bittersweet, lovely story. Three thumbs up.

I know this was made into a film, recently, and now I can’t wait to see it. If for no other reason, to see how in the hell they translated this into a movie. That couldn’t have been easy.

Learn more about Stephen Chbosky here.

Shortly after starting this book, I came across this blog post at The Indextrious Reader’s blog.

She started a fairly painless, yet creative challenge for the new year called The Postal Reading Challenge which involves agreeing to read and review books about letters and letter writing; anything with a postal theme will do. You can find links from her blog with beaucoups de postal reading suggestions. You can also find the links list of all the other people participating in this challenge so you can check out their reviews.

There are many levels of participation. I signed up and aimed low so as not to overly stress myself. I hope to read and review at least four books with a postal theme before the end of December.  Why don’t you join us? Sounds like fun.

#writemotivation month check in…and Things Beginning Writers Don’t Know

Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/

Hooray! I’m so excited it’s another #writemotivation month! Not just because I’ve got some serious goals to get through and I’m going to need a LOT of cheering and cookies to get through them, but because last month was wrought with pitfalls and illnesses and too much time away from these wonderful people who help me stay focused and laugh while keeping my outlook positive.

On to the goals!

1. Finish revision suggestions for interested agent and send off my FULL manuscript as soon as humanly possible. This is for my YA manuscript that I’ve been working on and submitting for the past few months. I had an amazing face to face critique in LA – just such a wonderful conversation with this agent -  I want to get it right and send her my absolute best.
2 .Finish up novel revisions on my Middle Grade manuscript for November workshop and mail off copies to my group. DONE.
3. Read through manuscripts received from my group for the novel revision workshop. Received the last one this week. Will take my time with these.
4. Continue first draft of new YA WIP. I want to keep working on something else once I’ve sent off my full manuscript so this will most likely be a goal I start near the end of the month.
5. Exercise at least four times a week – yeah, it’s time to step it up another day.

How are you all doing with your goals?

I’m also supposed to work on marketing ideas for my YA novel. The agent gave me some pitch idea homework I need to figure out. I’m constantly thinking about that, mulling ideas over in my head.  And a new title for my book. Apparently Institutionalized may not grab the attention of the average teen browsing the shelves. One should never get too attached to one’s working title. I’ve got some ideas I’m kicking around, but none that really wow me, yet.

This reminds me of some other things that I learned at the SCBWI LA Summer Conference that I wanted to share. A little segment I want to call…

Things Beginning Writers Don’t Know:

The first thing that beginning writers don’t know about how the acquisitions process works.

We all may know that it is hard to get published, but what beginning writers may not know is that even when an editor loves a manuscript and wants to buy it, they don’t always get to say “yes” right away. There’s this process called acquisitions that most manuscripts have to go through. Although each house is different, most publishing houses hold acquisitions meetings about twice a month. The editor must send out a proposal for the manuscript they want to buy, along with the manuscript, in advance of the meeting, as well as something called a profit and loss statement. This is “advanced algebra in a horrible excel spreadsheet” as Ari Lewin, editor at GP Putnam, described it and it spits a figure, projecting how much the house can expect to make on the book.

At the acquisitions meeting, everyone involved in saying “yes” gathers to review all the potential manuscripts. At some houses, this could be as many as twenty people including heads of imprints, editors, associate editors, the art director, the publisher, someone from marketing, sales, and publicity, etc. It takes a short time to say “no”. The books right on the edge are the hardest to decide on and may require more discussion and more meetings.

To learn more about acquisitions, I’d suggest reading Harold Underdown’s excellent article entitled “The Acquisitions Process” originally published in The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market back in 2010. He even shows what a sample acquisitions proposal looks like.

The second thing beginning writers don’t know is that they should be prepared to deliver EVERY YEAR after their first book is published.

Josh Adams, agent at Adams Literary, said this in the Agent Panel and went on to explain that there is a higher demand on writers; an increase on demand in social media, with school visits. You will also be expected to be active in marketing.

Jill Corcoran, agent at the Herman Agency, echoed this sentiment and added, “Books are coming out faster.”

Linda Pratt, agent with Wernick & Pratt Agency, expanded the discussion to talk about how second book choices for new writers are even more important than their first. Second book choices need to be weighed carefully. “You can’t always write the more obscure book or whatever you want – what you’re passionate about. You have to be a little more pragmatic. You have to consider your sales track.” Publishing houses are less likely to take a risk on an author whose first book sold poorly unless their second book shows more sales potential.

So think about how long it has taken you to perfect this current work that you are submitting to agents. Two years? Five? Do you have other projects you are working on while you are submitting? Are you thinking ahead about your next writing project? You should be.

The third thing beginning writers don’t know is how small the publishing world is, and that being unprofessional can close doors.

Josh Adams said during the Agent Panel that, “We see a lot of unprofessionalism out there and people burn bridges. The worst thing a client can do is close doors.”

Jill Corcoran seconded this: “You cannot bad mouth editors (or others in the industry) online. Be careful.” She suggested that you untag yourself from unprofessional pictures on Facebook or other social media and delete any negative content.

It DOES hurt to be rejected, but it happens to all of us. Remember that this is a business and conduct yourself accordingly. The publishing world IS very small; negative and unprofessional behavior does get noticed and word is easily spread.

The fourth and final tidbit of wisdom I am imparting to new writers is…you won’t earn a lot of money.

Shocker. But you’re not in this for the money, right? You write because you have to, because it’s your passion. If not…there’s your cue to exit.

As Josh Adams said, “You shouldn’t expect that you can quit your day job.” He also said that you should look at your career long term. School visits and multiple rights that a good agent should help you maximize can add to your income.

Jill Corcoran also said something really important: “The advance is not the end-all. You want to get to the royalties.”

So what does she mean? Don’t we all dream of that big, fat advance?

The advance is just a promise.

A bet.

A bet against how many copies you will sell.

You don’t start really making money until you sell more than that original promise. And what about your next book? You have to think about your career long-term, remember? If you DON’T sell enough copies of your first book to meet that promise, that advance, you’re going to have a much harder time getting the second book sold. The goal is to sell enough copies to get to the royalties. That’s where things really start to pay off. That shows the publishing world that you are worth betting on; you are worth the risk.

To recap; publishing is slow, painful, it asks you to work your ass off without always loving you back, (It really IS like raising a child) and it doesn’t always bring you riches. You have to do it because you love it, because you’re passionate about it, and because you’re in it for the long haul.

11 Questions and #writemotivation Goal Check

Thanks to the hilarious AE Welch for tagging me and giving me the responsibility privilege of participating in her challenge. I suggest you all go check out her page and watch her own 11 question vlog post. It’s superb. My daughter even stopped what she was doing to come ask me what I was laughing at. Teen life interruptions are not easy to come by. They can block out all kinds of stimuli – parents asking them for the millionth time to put their dirty clothes in the hamper that is two feet away from the growing mountain of reeking, sweaty cast-offs; teachers reminding them about the major project due the following Monday that they don’t remember until one hour before bed on Sunday night because somebody else tweeted about having theirs totally finished. Seriously, check her out. HERE.

I’ll wait.

Are you back? Excellent! Although, I am not yet brave enough to tackle the vlog and I do NOT look fabulous in hats like AE, I will pick up the gauntlet and tackle the 11 questions for her.

Questions to answer:

1- What are your five favorite movies?

This is almost as hard as picking your five favorite books. Way to start with an easy one! I decided to to list the first five I could think of that I watch every time they comes on, now matter how many times I’ve already seen them. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Broadcast News There are so many great quotable lines from this movie that I have a hard time keeping quiet when it’s on. One of my favorites is, “Wouldn’t this be a great world if insecurity and desperation made us more attractive? If needy were a turn on?” Holly Hunter and William Hurt are amazing, but Albert Brooks just steals the show as far as I’m concerned. When everyone else is being utilized to cover a huge breaking news story and he’s been sidelined, Brooks decides the best salve for his wounded pride is alcohol and a bi-lingual singalong. The funniest scene in the movie. Okay, ONE of the funniest scenes, There are too many to narrow it down to just one.

2. Hot Fuzz Dynamic duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost together again in another action packed blood bath set in the tranquil town of Sandford where no one misbehaves and nothing goes wrong…for long. There’s very little crime and never any murders, but there sure are an indecent number of grisly accidents. So fantastic. If you loved Shaun of the Dead – and who didn’t, I ask you? – you’ll love this one even more.

3. Shakespeare in Love Could there be a better movie for a writer to watch ad nauseum? I don’t think so. This one has it all. This is also another movie I can’t keep my mouth shut through. Too many great lines! And how will it turn out?  “I don’t know; It’s a mystery.” The camaraderie of writers with Marlowe helping Shakespeare find the right title for Romeo and Juliet – how many times did he get ideas for great characters names from someone else? – the writer’s doubts and insecurities, the muses, oh! I could seriously write a whole entry about this one all by itself.

4. V for Vendetta Because everyone needs one kickass revolutionary film in their top five. “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” This one’s so epic that the Occupy Wallstreet crowd adopted the Guy Fawkes’ masks as part of their identity. And Natalie Portman acting superbly even with a bald head? C’mon!

5. The Princess Bride Not your average fairy tale. It’s way funnier and far more quotable. Yes, this is another movie I can’t stop talking through. (Maybe that’s another criteria for a great movie for me. Fantastic dialogue.) If you’ve never once shouted out, ” Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father; prepare to die!” then you just haven’t lived. I wish my grandparents had come over to read me stories like this when I was sick. Of course all of mine were dead by the time I was this kid’s age. That may be part of the nostalgic appeal for me. I can’t help but tear up every time he say “As you wish.” at the end. Every single time.

I feel so bad for all the movies I left on the cutting room floor that I’m going to list them all as honorable mentions – again in no particular order – but with no descriptions or links. Look them up if you’ve never heard of them: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pulp Fiction, Amélie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Big Chill, Raising Arizona, Alien, Stand by Me, Donnie Darko, Chocolat, A Knight’s Tale, Bull Durham, Breakfast Club, Life is Beautiful, Juno, The Virgin Suicides, Fargo, Silence of the Lambs, Atonement, Good Morning Vietnam, Sweeney Todd, Almost Famous, Die Hard, American Beauty, Casino Royale, Heathers, Star Wars, LOTR, The Matrix,…stop me already!

2-  Would you rather go without makeup for a year, or without shaving your legs for a year?

Finally an easy question. I rarely wear makeup so I could easily go without it for a year.
3- What book have you read recently that you really loved?

Shine by Lauren Myracle. Obviously. I just wrote a love poem of a post to it the other day. See that post here.

4- What book have you read recently that you really hated?

I haven’t read anything that I really hate, but I didn’t exactly love the last two books in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. So why read them? Mostly to know what’s being published and why and because I did enjoy the first book enough to want to see how the series concluded.
5- If you had to eat one food for one meal every day for a year, which would you choose?

Chocolate. (chocolate is food, right?) It can be prepared in many different ways so I wouldn’t get bored. Psh! Like that would happen.

6- What was the best part of your senior year of high school?

One of my best friends was a year ahead of me and was attending school at a university in town, so I’d have to say hanging out with her on campus every spare moment I could and enjoying college life a year early. It helped me hang in there that last year.
7- What piece of electronic equipment do you think you could easily live without?

Ummm. Alarm clock.
8- Do you prefer your beverages through a straw, from a bottle or from another container?

I like straws…I do like to drink beer from a bottle. This is a weird question.

9- Would you rather have glow in the dark skin or squishy teeth?

Now the questions are just getting even stranger. I would have to go with glow in the dark skin, although that would highly diminish my sneak-attack abilities. Just the thought of squishy teeth makes me queasy.
10- Who would win in a fight between Gandalf and Dumbledore?

I’m going to take the controversial opinion of Dumbledore.

11- Do you consider pushup bras to be a form of dishonesty?

No. I consider lies a form of dishonesty, omissions of truth a form of dishonesty; not a piece of clothing.

Well that was whimsical. A nice break from all of the serious writing I’ve been doing. Now to tag some fellow writers who need a bit of whimsy to lighten their day.

Tag! You’re it!

Lisa Rosenman at Lisa the Word Nerd

Jamie Dement at Write Backwards

Abigail Kern at Lesson of the Day

M. Andrew Patterson at Dyadic Echoes

Rachel Russell at Rachel Russell (yes, that’s me trying to be funny)

Have fun with the brief writing break, guys!

Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/

Now, on to the last order of business, the #writemotivation goal check…

1.Write full rough draft of new WIP. Slow and painful progress, just like a first draft should be.
2. Continue to submit current YA project out to agents. Yes, add five more to the board. So far, no rejections this round, but it is early.
3. Keep up with my blog posts, commenting on blogs, etc., but also keep a limit on this time so that my writing comes first. Doing better, but still want to try to keep daily limit to two hours. Not quite making that yet.
4. Exercise three times a week. Far exceeding this one. Who knew that this would be the easiest goal to make? Not me!

I’ve had so much encouragement from my #writemotivation peers on Twitter this week. You guys are just the best. When any of us need you, there you are. Our thoughts are with Becks this week, especially.

How are you all doing with your goals?

Saying Goodbye to June and Hello to July #writemotivation, something has to keep me on my toes…

Header image and thumbnail photograph by Hugh Lee and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. http://www.flickr.com/photos/sahlgoode/

Although I do better with my writing goals during the #writemotivation months when I’m reporting on myself weekly – the good, the bad, and the ugly – I actually am not a total slacker in the off months. In June, I also went on vacation and so allowed for an increased amount of slack. Good thing. My number of submissions to agents was way down for the month and I did not make as much progress as I had wanted on my revisions. Then I saw my orthopedic doc who monitors my degenerative disc disease in my back and he said that I had to start exercising and keeping a journal to show him in six months – what a Fascist! Okay, okay, maybe he did have a point and my best interests at heart about getting my back muscles stronger and eventually weaning me off my meds completely – yada yada yada – but who ever wants to hear that? So, I’ve started walking and swimming to begin with and I’m looking for a used elliptical, which is what he really wants me to work out on, as our neighborhood pool won’t always be an option. So, with sore muscles, and yet already with a little more energy, I did rally near the end of the month and got a fresh burst of new revision ideas that I needed for my current WIP. I also entered into a few new online writing ventures, most of which I’ve recently written in previous blog posts. My query entry in the Daisy Critique Challenge has received several responses and all of them positive. That will lift any writer’s spirits.

In my effort to stretch even further beyond my comfort zone and meet new people in the writing world, I recently submitted myJune blog post on Censorship to Anastasia Suen’s Carnival of Literature which is “a monthly round up of blog posts about children’s literature” that takes place at the end of each month and is hosted by a different blog. Anastasia not only included my post in this month’s issue, but mentioned that the comments on my blog were excellent, so thank you to all who contributed to that dialogue. This month, Diane Kelly at Practically Paradise is playing host. Take a moment and stop by to see my post listed and to peruse through the many other diverse and fascinating submissions. There are some great posts in the nonfiction section including one about a female adventurer bringing the first panda to the United States and another reviewing the book The Science of Soldiers. In the fiction category, there are many great posts about wonderful books, including a list of “books even busy boys will come in for” and seven YA beach reads. In the early literacy section, there’s a discussion of the fantastic return of Reading Rainbow. In the Poetry section, you can learn a bit about cowboy poets and see a rendition of Moo-Cow Moo performed. In the book projects section, there’s a fiery discussion about Newberry Books and one unusual approach to consumer testing your unpublished novel. In the interviews section, there’s an interview with a picture book writer, a poet, and a children’s writer all the way from the Philippines. If you are a book blogger and frequently write about any of the categories that would qualify for the Carnival of Literature, I would encourage you to consider submitting your best post in July for next month’s issue.

To keep the new-found momentum of progress going, I’ve signed up once again to participate in KT Hanna’s #writemotivation challenge. Here are my July writing goals:

1. Write full rough draft of new WIP. I am participating in a novel revision workshop this fall and I want to have a new project to work on for this. We swap manuscripts in September so I need to get the first draft done this month.
2. Continue to submit current YA project out to agents. I still have some submissions awaiting answers but I cannot stall out now. I need to submit at least five at a time.
3. Keep up with my blog posts, commenting on blogs, etc., but also keep a limit on this time so that my writing comes first. This has been a major struggle for me – time management. I need to put the writing part first and then set limits on the platform building part and yet still get it done. this will probably be the hardest goal.
4. Exercise three times a week. No, this, may be the hardest goal. Blech! Thanks, Dr. Preston.

Looking forward to some much needed motivation from my #writemotivation peers this time around. I’ll see you in the chatroom! (During my allotted time.) Anyone else struggling with goals during the summer months? Anyone?

The Fine Art of BarbieTossing and Other Games My KidsTaught Me

Chucking Barbies is Serious Fun!

I am at this tumultuous point in my writing life where my days vacillate between sad departures and happy beginnings. I’m wrapping up final edits before prying my over-protective hands off my newborn YA manuscript, kicking it out of the nest into the big, scary world to fly on its own where it will be rejected, requested only to be rejected some more, requested again, and then hopefully, FINALLY to be adored by just the right person. The more exciting, joyous parts of my days are when I’m moving forward on my next YA manuscript. I think I’m enjoying the beginning of this new manuscript because it is much lighter in subject matter than the last novel. No longer am I trapped in the psych ward with my main character, Sara, struggling through the ugly situations that I put her through. I do love her story, but I’ve lived with it for a very long time and, man, was I brutal. She should never forgive me. With this new novel I get to be funny and explore new things. I’m also I’m dying to try out what I learned while writing the last novel.

First, I want to write my rough draft without constantly editing myself. I’m going to follow some wise advice from a dear writer friend and give myself permission to write a very bad first draft. Although I’m not a big Hemingway fan, I did love this quote I read from him recently that said, “The first draft of anything is shit.” Succinct and to the point. (Maybe I will give The Old Man and the Sea another go after all.) I want to have fun with my new manuscript without constantly correcting.

Second, I want to keep a journal of my ideas for changes and questions I have about plot issues or character motivation, etc. I believe I got the idea from Kathi Appelt when she spoke to our Oklahoma SCBWI group last fall. She keeps an ongoing project journal which are conversations with herself about her characters and the choices her characters could make. She writes out where her characters are going mentally and physically, drawing maps to keep directions straight. She turns to her journals whenever she gets stuck while writing to work through the rough spots. I tried something much less organized with notes in the margins of my last book and it wasn’t as easy to reference or to keep track of through all of my edits and it wasn’t remotely conversational. I really like her idea. I have a funky new spiral that will serve this purpose. I must write “hands off!” on the cover so my daughter doesn’t steal it – it is that cool.

Third, I want to handle my stress better. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I’m not going to sabotage myself or stop writing or start doubting that I can do this, I’m just going to take a break and play for a little while. Just play.

My inspiration for this final idea? I found some old pictures of my kids playing a game they made up called Barbie Tossing, which is exactly what it sounds like. Man, were those dolls aerodynamic! This was during a time in our lives when we didn’t have much money, we lived in a cramped apartment while I worked in a very demanding management position that required a lot of travel-time and my husband was still in nursing school, and we were still new to the whole autism diagnosis with our son  -  juggling all kinds of appointments with specialists and therapists to see what he needed – STRESSFUL! And yet here was this moment when the kids didn’t even notice any of that and just made due with what they had – a bunch of Barbies and a patch of grass right outside the apartment door. They tossed those Barbies for hours. (Finally, a way of playing with them that didn’t make me cringe. I even joined in – yes, I did my fair share of Barbie Tossing, too.) I looked at those pictures and then I remembered how those bright-eyed kids could turn a small corner of our tiny living room into the most fantastical adventure with a blanket and two bar stools and they always, ALWAYS invited me to come along. Once I’m done indulging my need for play, I won’t feel as stressed anymore and all the doubts and worry won’t be able to hold me back.

Barbie Tossing is for everyone...

Catch the craze!

Even your brother will like it!

Cupid Was Very Good To Me – End of the Surprise Agent Invasion

As some of you may know, I participated in the Cupid’s Literary Connection Surprise Agent Invasion Contest. The details of which are here in this previous post. Well, the contest has officially ended and I was indeed struck by Cupid’s arrow a few times – such a giddy feeling! The contest as a whole was so much fun. It was also incredibly intense and nerve-wracking as well. I met some fantastic new writer friends. We bonded over on Twitter where we totally obsessed about what agents would stop by, WHEN agents would stop by, would the current agent browsing through the list pick our entry (please, please,PLEASE!!!) We really knew how to obsess. But the best thing we did was offer up support and congratulations to each other when an agent made a request – and there were many requests! There were a total of 86 requests made by 12 agents and 1 editor who stopped by for surprise invasions during the three week period that our entries were posted. Not bad! I’d definitely call that a huge success.

I learned some valuable things about my writing from the agent comments on my entry, mostly that they loved my first page and that I apparently lack the ability to write tight, clear queries. (I kind of already knew that part; I loathe the query.) It was a good thing my writing was strong enough on the first page for a few agents to over-look my atrocious query. As I am always looking for ways to improve my craft, I decided that I should suck it up and dispense with the query-loathing and master the damned thing. Several writing friends have already sent me in the direction of their favorite query sites and given me helpful tips, but I am always open to hearing more from others who excel in this area.

In the column of even more exciting news, hot on the heels of her vastly successful Surprise Agent Invasion Contest, our lovely, hard-working Cupid has a new contest starting May 3rd called “The Writer’s Voice”. She is patterning it after the hit show “The Voice”. Entries will be picked based on their queries and first pages and then a few select coaches will get involved to help the chosen candidates improve their entries for the final round where agents will pick their favorites and request to see their manuscripts. One major change in this contest is that you do have to have a blog to enter. Check out the details if you are interested in entering. It should be another amazing contest.

For me, I plan on watching this one and cheering on the hopeful competitors. I still have one agent reviewing my manuscript and once I brush up my query skills, I will start submitting. I may have a few more agents requesting soon. Who knows. Good luck to the new competitors!