Another Year, Another Set of Writing Goals (and a Few Aspirations)

Okay, so I'm not so great at remembering to cross-post from my LJ blog.

So, I'm just gonna say sorry and send you here if you want to take a look at all I've posted recently (it's a bunch, so take your time). And I promise I'll try to do better to remember this blog as well.

Anyway, since I'm all about making new promises, I thought I'd share my new writing goals (and a few aspirations) for the new year with anyone who cares to know what I have planned for 2010. The following is cross-posted from my LJ blog.

Without further ado, they are:

GOALS
1. Finish the first draft of my current WIP. The real, official deadline I've set for myself is my birthday (mid-Feb), but I'm really hoping to finish this by the end of January.

2. Write the first draft of another MG novel.

3. Polish one of the first drafts I have floating around on my hard drive and send it off to my agent.

4. Write five days a week.

5. Work on my health goals, since I'm not particularly happy about looking like a lumpy marshmallow if I ever need to get an author photo. (I won't list those particular goals here, but yes they are specific and hopefully attainable.)

ASPIRATIONS
1. Sell the manuscript currently out on submission.
2. Get either a two-book deal OR sell a second book (I'm not particular about which one, I'd just like to have two books sold).
3. Become an entertaining speaker for anyone who thinks I might have something interesting to say. (Yes, I like to talk but so far I haven't had much to say. I still don't, but I can dream, can't I?)

I'm ready for you, 2010.

Ramblings About Having an Agent

I've been thinking a lot about the changes that have happened now that I have an agent. Here are some good (and not so good) things I've noticed.

(DISCLAIMER: None of the not-so-good things have to do with my agent. They are all about me. My agent ROCKS.)

GOOD: For the first time in a long time, I feel validated as a writer. I can't tell you how many years I've watched friends/family/complete strangers I've stopped on the street let their eyes glaze over as I talk about my writing.

NOT SO GOOD: Since when did I ever become so needy? My agent sends me a note that says, for example, "I liked this," and I want to email him back and beg him to tell me every minuscule reason why I am the greatest writer in the world, and to lie about it if I'm not. That can't be normal.

GOOD: I don't feel as guilty about doing writing-related things such as attending my writers group or writing conferences, or telling my husband we need to spend money on my writing business for a change.

NOT SO GOOD: My house is messier than ever. Sorry, hubby dear.

GOOD: I actually have a writing business now.

NOT SO GOOD: So far, my business has not been very profitable.

GOOD: I really enjoy the collaboration process. That surprises me. I've tried collaborating before and it always felt like a lot of work to mesh two people's thoughts and ideas together. Not this time.

NOT SO GOOD: I feel a little guilty calling it "my book" when someone else has made some mighty fine suggestions to make it better. I feel like his/her name should go on the title, too. (Though this has always been a problem for me. Now it's just been magnified a hundred-fold.)

GOOD: There are real superstar editors out there, reading MY manuscript! Awesome!

NOT SO GOOD: There are real superstar editors out there, reading MY manuscript?! Are they nuts?!

(Oh, UPDATE: agent man is sending my manuscript today [hopefully] to some editors. He liked the revisions I sent him a few days ago. Whew and YIPPEE!)

But in all honesty, this has been the most exciting/frightening/nerve-wracking/validating process. I'm really enjoying it, nerves and all. Though it will be nice when things settle down a bit, so I can stop tossing and turning all night long (I don't sleep well when I'm excited).

Crossing My Fingers

Today I finished the revision my agent requested. I thought that was pretty fast work considering I overhauled one character 100%. Seriously. The only thing that stayed the same was his name and occupation.

Funny thing: my agent didn't ask me to overhaul the character. But the character wasn't working the way he was, so I knew he had to go. At first I was worried, because he provided a lot of tension in the book, but I think (hope) the new character still provides the tension I needed, but in a different way.

I sent it off to my agent to see what he thinks. *fingers crossed*

I'm hoping he gives the green light so we can start subbing it. But I'm also ready to go back and do a little more tweaking. I'd rather revise than write a first draft. I hate first drafts.

Wish me luck, everyone!

Saturday Six

1. I finally got my ms. back from my agent. He's recommended one small revision (which I am so glad he did because it was a part of the book that I knew needed work and wanted to fix anyway) in addition to the line edits. Yesterday I revised the first two chapters. Seven more chapters to go! Then we'll be sending that baby off into the sub world.

2. I recently moved back to my home state, and my writers group has welcomed me back with open arms. We meet next week! Woohoo! I love these people. I am so excited about seeing them all again! And while I've been away they've added some new members, so I am excited to meet new writing friends, too.

3. Yesterday my husband and I took the 5 kiddos shopping for new shoes. Have you ever tried to help 5 little kids pick out shoes, all at the same time, in a crowded mall shoe store? I don't recommend it. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off as one yelled, "Mom, I can't get these on!" while another danced down the aisle in new shoes while the third said, "Get back here, Mom! Don't leave me!" (and the littlest one was pulling all the shiny ones out of the boxes and the oldest was pouting since they didn't have the shoes he wanted in his size). And once we got to the register, the lady behind us kept throwing daggers at us with her eyes since she had one pair of shoes and we had 10, and she was forced to wait while we were helped. And each child wanted to pack their own shoes out of the store so the poor lady at the register had to bag our items in five different bags. It's always an adventure when we take our kids anywhere.

4. I really don't like the cliched phrases, "running around like a chicken with my head cut off" or "throwing daggers at us with her eyes," but I'm too lazy right now to think of something original and fresh.

5. I meet with my web designer next week to go over ideas and decide on a plan of action for my website. We're going to try to have it up and running by September, though I think it may take a bit longer than that. I'm hoping it will be a rockin' website!

6. Sweet Pea, my littlest one (she's 18 months old), has just crawled up on my lap for a little snuggle time. And now she's singing to me. It's complete gibberish but so cute. Aw. I love little kids, especially mine.

A Shout Out To Those Who Love Blogging!

Yesterday evening I participated in my first Twitter chat (#kidlitchat) and had a great time learning all sorts of great things (once I wrapped my brain around it all--it was like sitting in the middle of a room and trying to listen to thirteen conversations going on at once).

But one thing I heard/read from Elizabeth Law (a publisher with Egmont USA) that I thought was interesting was this:

"A thing I learned from Alice Pope: you have to be participating in social networking and can't leap in just to promote your book."

It made me wonder about this whole blogging experience. I resisted getting a blog at first, but only because I knew that once I started I'd love it so much I'd never be able to give it up. (And as usual, I was right.) But are there people out there who jump on the blog bandwagon just for the sake of promoting themselves?

Well, obviously there are. I've even known some. And I think they have missed the point.

Blogging, for me at least, is a way to share a bit of myself with anyone who will listen. I'm silly some days (just read those recent pity party posts if you don't believe me), other days I'm really excited about what's going on in my life, and there are other days when I just need to vent about my frustrations or tell someone about how nervous I am. And sometimes I do want to teach someone something I've learned and want to pass on. I don't mind promotion on a blog, but it should be a natural extension of you sharing what you love (and of course we writers love what we've written).

So this is my shout out to all those who love blogging as much as I do, and who do it for the right reasons, not just the promotional reasons. Blog on, Bloggers!

Okay, off my soapbox.

My Agent News

(Sorry, blogger friends. I kinda forgot you in all the excitement the past few months. But I wanted to share this with you, which I originally posted on my LJ blog on Jul. 31st. I'll try to do better at posting here from now on. I promise.)

Heads up, people! I have GOOD NEWS!

I am dancing with joy because this week I signed with Josh Getzler of Writers House!

OMG! I have an agent!

And, for the record, he was the agent I talked about a few months ago that was so nice and went the extra mile. So I am very happy. (You can read that post here if you need to refresh your memory.)

I'll post more later, but first I've got to write a nice little thank you note to Authoress of Miss Snark's First Victim blog. Since she was the one who had the Secret Agent Contest that brought my agent and me together, I really need to let her and her readers know.

(BTW, I am totally going to have to update my goals for this year. I've crossed off most of them. How awesome is that?!)

Writing for Lazy People 101

I confess.

I'm a lazy writer.

I do a lot of talking, but not as much writing as I should. Why, you ask? Well, there is so much to talk about that it's hard to narrow down what to write about. And since I have a captive audience (he he he) I thought I'd share my process with the rest of you. Go ahead and stop reading here if you want to, because the following is really only geared for the lazy writers like me. You've been warned.

Welcome to Writing for Lazy People 101 (you can call it 1010 if you want, since the bigger numbers are all the rage on college and university campuses nowadays, but I'm lazy so I'm sticking with the shorter version). Today's lesson is HOW TO PICK SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT.

This is easy. Really.

First, you need to get your BIC. No, this is not your cheap but trusty brand-name pen. This stands for Butt In Chair. Luckily for us lazy people, we happen to prefer sitting down, so this is a fairly simple step. Unfortunately, you can't just sit down anywhere, which is the hard part. You must place your BIC in front of a computer. Or, if you're old school, you will have to place your BIC in front of a Bic (the cheap but trusty brand-name pen) and your Weyerhaeuser (that's paper for those of you who aren't obsessed with the brand names of writing supplies like I am).

Next comes the hard part. You must think. I know, this goes against every lazy grain in your body. But try it. You can think about things you like, such as marshmallows roasting over a fire, or that satisfying slurp you can make when you eat spaghetti without using any good manners, or what it feels like to eat popcorn in front of the TV when you know you're not supposed to take food out of the kitchen/dining room. (NOTE TO SELF: go get a snack before you drive everyone else crazy.)

The most amazing thing happens when you are thinking. Suddenly a RGI will pop into your head. This should not be confused with a RPG, which is a really fun thing to do with all your other lazy friends on a Friday night. RGI stands for Really Great Idea. For me, it usually is a "What If?" scenario that catches my attention, like "What if I was roasting marshmallows over a fire, and I heard noises in the darkness of the forest beyond the fire's light?" or "What if Mr. Smith was slurping his spaghetti and fell over, dead, with a noodle still hanging half out his mouth?" These, of course, may not be the best examples but I'm too lazy to think up really good ones right now.

So, now that you have your RGI, you can pat yourself on the back. Job well done, lazy person. You now have your SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT.

Next time we'll discuss what to do with your something-to-write-about. You might want to get a good night's sleep. The next lesson is a doozy.

Trust me.

The Different Types of Critiquers

I am always grateful to anyone who offers to critique my work. But have you noticed the different types of critiquers out there?

Here's the ones I've found so far:

First are the Adoring Non-Critquers. These are your friends/family members/adoring fans who can't find anything wrong with your manuscript. These people are perfect for those days when you just need some ego-stroking, but they really aren't helpful at all when it comes to the actual manuscript.

Next are the Line Critiquers. These are the people who find my typos and tell me a period is missing on page 37 or I should have used an em-dash instead of parentheses on page 63. These people are most helpful when I have polished a manuscript and want someone to gloss over it right before I send if off on submissions. They usually are not at all helpful when I'm still working from a first draft. And sometimes I find these people annoying, because they will try to fix any and all grammical "errors," even if I have used the error on purpose for stylistic reasons. They only have eyes for the grammar. They are not at all concerned about the storytelling.

Third are the Research Critiquers. These are the people who check every single reference in your book to make sure they match. They are the ones who tell you on page 12 your MC has red hair but on page 94 the hair color has changed to brown. Or they are the ones that, for example, will tell you that your main character's father could not have been killed while driving a John Deere tractor because John Deere did not sell tractors until three years after the dad's death. These critiquers are concerned about the story only in its plausibility. These people are indespensible, but can also be truly annoying (only because they can unravel your well-constructed manuscript in seconds). I try to get my RCs to read my second draft, which is when the story is coherent but not polished. That way I haven't done a lot of work on something that may need to be changed because it isn't plausible.

Fourth, and by far the most valuable, are the Global Critiquers. These are the people who can see the whole picture and can point out where the story is dragging, or where the characters are a little flat, or where things get a bit muddled and need to be revised for clarity. They are the ones who focus on the storytelling. These are the people I trust with my first draft, and every draft thereafter. And, in my limited experience, this is where the professionals are.

And last, though I hate to mention them, are the Non-believers. These are the critiquers who can't find any redeeming value in your book, who think you are wasting your time, and who have nothing postive to say about your work. Luckily you can usually avoid these kinds of people, since they don't normally go around offering to critique manuscripts, but they are out there. They are bitter individuals and I recommend steering clear if you find one. And if you happen to get one, I'm really truly sorry.

Have I missed any? Let me know if you've found any other species of critiquers.

A New Way of Looking at the Library

A few days ago I took Princess to the library. She still can't read, but she LOVES books.
Here's how the visit went.

P: "Mommy, can I go inside with you?"

Me: "Yes, of course!"

P: "Can I pick out princess books?"

Me: "I think you've read them all."

P: *Skips into the library and goes straight to the shelves and pulls one off.* "Do we have this one at home, Mommy? Can I bring it home?"

Me: "That's a good choice."

P: *Randomly pulls books off the shelf and puts them in her pile.*

Me: *Watches P and looks at the pile of books.* "You sure like books with pink on them, don't you!"

P: "Uh-huh!" *beams*

I think she's on to something. Maybe next time I go to the library, I will only check out white books. Or black books. Or purple books. Or green books.

Or maybe I should just work on teaching Princess how to read.

Query Tracker Turns Two!

I love Query Tracker. It was the first place I found when I started the query process. I now have a whole bunch more I use as well, but QT holds a special place in my heart.

So, I wanted to spread the word about QT's 2nd birthday celebration!

They will be holding several contests over the next few weeks, but the best part is the grand prize. One lucky winner will win a custom-designed website by Purple Squirrel Web Design. How awesome is that?! I've always wanted my own website. (Not that I will win or anything, because you all should know by know that I never win these kinds of contests.)

I first heard this from lyon_martin , so check out her post here. You can also see the official QT page here.

I would add their very cool carnival image, but I have no idea how to do that. Yes, I am technology-impaired. Which is so not cool since I'm not very old. I'm totally a non-geek, apparently. (Which, in this case, still makes me a geek since I'm not cool. Weird how that works out.)

Anyway...go check it out! It looks like lots of fun!

Movin' On To the Finals

Have you ever done something, spur of the moment, and thought nothing of it after? Well, that happened to me today.

I entered the Hook Us Contest a few weeks ago, sponsored by thefiverandoms , purely for educational reasons. The contest was for the hook (the blurb you use on the query letter, though mine was revamped and cut down for the purposes of this contest--my query letter is a little bit longer), and they were offering to critique the hooks. Any long-term follower of this blog should know how awful I am at writing queries, so I couldn't pass up the chance. I didn't expect to get any contest attention because most of the entries were for YA paranormal fantasy or something as equally not like my manuscript. And most of the group journal authors write YA paranormal fantasy or something equally not like my manuscript. The agent giving the prize for the winner is not someone I would have imagined liking my manuscript, so I figured it wouldn't get anywhere.

Imagine my surprise when I received an email letting me know I was one of the finalists!

Next week I go on to the First Page round. I can't say I'll win that either, but at least they will be seeing the same 250 words that helped me win the Secret Agent Contest. And honestly I'm just happy to get some attention-any attention-from people who really know what they are doing.

Check it out for yourself here!

I'm DONE

But not in a good way. I'm still sitting right before the climax of my WIP, but I've decided there is no point in finishing the first draft because whatever I write now will be thrown away when I get to the second draft. And I can't figure out yet what will be written without going back and doing some major rewriting and rethinking. I'm not one of those people who can change story mid-stream and keep going. I need to do some serious thinking on this book. I'm not ready to revise yet. I want to sit down and really plan out this book.

So, I've done the next best thing. I've put the novel away for a few months. I plan on writing a first draft of another novel and then, while that book is stewing, I'll come back and revise this one.

I know. You can call me a quitter. I don't care. I'm doing the right thing. I know it.

Besides, remember when I said inspiration struck? Yep. I'm already plotting that book. I want to try a new approach to writing (well, new for me). One that involves an outline.

*gasp!*

A Day in the Life...

...of a mom who wishes she was a published author but who really should take up Housekeeping instead.

7:30 am-I get the usual whack in the face wake up call from Sweet Pea (the 1yo).

7:34 am-Dude (my 10yo) gets up to help with Sweet Pea. He loves her dearly and loves me enough to let me sleep in a few extra minutes.

8:11am-Dearest (that's my husband) leaves for work with his usual "Get out of bed! I'm leaving!" goodbye.

8:29am-Phone call from Dearest telling me some news or other about work that really doesn't apply to me. I think it's a ruse to see if I'm officially awake.

9:04am-Dude tells me he has a stuffy nose and stiff neck. He really does. I can tell. His words come out all...well...stuffy.

9:12am-Call school to let them know we are sick. (Ours is a parent-partner school, so I have to stay on campus with my kids. If one is sick, we all can't go.) The fifth phone call in a month. Did I mention we only attend twice a week? You do the math on that one to see how poor our attendance has been recently.

9:26am-Dude and Sweet Pea have already eaten, but the others, Buddy (7), Kiddo (6 in three days), and Princess (4), dig in. They are surprisingly self-sufficient. They each choose a bowl of sugared cereal and cold milk. At least this milk made it back into the fridge. There is another 1/4 gallon on the table that has been sitting out all night. Oops.

9:26am-I sit down the the computer. First things first. Check writing email. Nope. No sign of Agent response. Dang.

9:27am-Sweet Pea climbs on my lap and signs "food." Never-mind that she has already devoured a whole banana and a bowl full of oatmeal.

9:27am-Sweet Pea doesn't take offered food but settles into cuddle position on my lap. I figure since I'm stuck, I might as well get some computer work done. Check other email, reply to a few about scout activity I am running tonight (I volunteer as Cubmaster for Dude's scout pack), then log in to Verla Kay's blueboards.

10:34am-Still surfing the blueboards. Wonder if I should stop and get started on my WIP instead. Shrug and keep surfing. Sweet Pea has fallen asleep on lap.

10:37am-Buddy and Kiddo start fighting over a toy. I shrug again. It's better than what would normally happen--me fighting with them to get dressed for school. Sweet Pea sleeps through it all.

10:42am-Dude tries to take Sweet Pea off my lap. She, of course, wakes up and cries. Nice try, but no luck. Sweet Pea back in my arms and I am still stuck in the chair. Might as well do some more surfing.

11:46am-Dude asks if he can go online and play video games. I make him get out his writing book instead. I'm so mean.

11:57am-Dude asks if he can take a break for lunch. I tell him no.

11:58am-Dude asks if he can now take a break for lunch. I say no again.

12:01pm-Dude says it is now lunch time and time for a break. I laugh in his face and tell him to finish his writing assignment and then do his math.

12:48pm-I start lunch. I tell Buddy to go down to the freezer in the garage and get some hot dogs so I can make Beanie Weenies for lunch. He disappears downstairs.

12:54pm-I stare at the sink full of dirty dishes and realize it will take me longer to clean a pot to cook the Beanie Weenies in than it would to break out the sandwich makin's. I wonder where Buddy is with the hot dogs, anyway.

1:12pm-Sandwiches are passed all around. Buddy reappears, complaining about not getting his fave Beanie Weenies (but, remarkably, he forgets he was the one in charge of retrieving the Weenies). Sweet Pea tosses the bread onto the floor and devours the cheese and deli meat. I look into the front room and realize the kids have been busy while I've been making lunch. The floor is covered with books, toys, pillows and blankets. There's nowhere left to walk.

2:26pm-Front room is still a mess. Now Buddy and Kiddo have really pushed each other's buttons and a shouting/slapping match has begun. Sweet Pea, playing innocently on the floor, gets runover by angry big bros. A stern talking to ensues. They don't listen.

3:52pm-Another fighting/shouting match between Buddy and Kiddo, but Kiddo is mad enough now to take on a hornet's nest and win. I send entire troup to bedrooms for some quiet time. Dude needs it, stuffy nose has quickly worn him out. Princess too--she was crying in the hallway because Dude beat her to the pile of diapers I had asked someone to fetch for me.

4:04pm--Kids are finally quiet in beds. Front room still looks like a tornodo struck. I am exhasted, so I sit down with Sweet Pea and cuddle. The computer is close by, however. I have a great idea for a post on my blog. I get to work.

4:18pm--Every child escapes from bedroom for a "snack." The snack ends up being as much as they ate for lunch. Sweet Pea has fallen asleep in my arms (again) so I am helpless to stop the sandwich makin festivities. I do the only thing I can, I threaten no dinner. They shrug and make the sandwiches anyway. I guess I won't be cooking tonight.

4:20pm--I have just finished typing up this post. I'm sure there will be more to come. But soon we will be heading out to set up for Scouts, then we will get home in time for complaints about the lack of dinner (mostly from Dearest, but the others will chime in once he does) and then more arguments as bedtime approaches. Then I will get some alone time to write, but I will probably squander this time by checking for emails from agents (in vain because it will be long after they have gone home for the day) and staring at the still messy front room.

Sigh.

How I Handle the Wait

Not well, apparently. I'm a complete basketcase. I've tried not to think about it, but this week has been tough.

My full manuscript is currently sitting on the desks of four agents (let's call 'em Agents #1, #2,, #3, and #4). And each one of those agents (or agencies) has been in the spotlight this week, for one reason or another. So I haven't been able to forget about them as easily as usual.

I'm really biting my nails now. Agent #1 , a new agent, has been sending form Rs like crazy this week (I've been watching the response times thread on the blueboards), and most of the people receiving rejections sent manuscripts the same day I did. All week I've been thinking, Well, obviously Agent #1 has read my manuscript, and is obviously not interested or I would have received The Call, right? So that means my R is on its lonely way back to me. It should be in my mailbox any day now. Poo.

Agent # said he would get back to me weeks ago (he's the one who sent me the nice little note awhile back). That could be good news, because if he hated it he would have sent the form R right away, right? But it's not really good news, either, because if he loved it he would have contacted me right away, too. Right?

The third agent has now signed three people since I've sent off my full manuscript. And all three people sent their fulls either the same week I did or after I did. Does that mean Agent #3 isn't in love with my manuscript? If Agent #3 was, then I would have heard by now, right?

And Agent #4 has been sitting on my manuscript since February. Oddly enough, this agent has had my manuscript the longest and it is the one I'm least angsty about. Go figure.

Yes. It's stupid to be so nutsy about this. But I confess I am. And the worst part? Yesterday Inspiration struck in a big way. I now have at least 6 or 7 story ideas for sequels to said manuscript, and one in particular my brain is already fleshing out. But I don't dare write any of them until I know the fate of this book. What's the point in writing a bunch of sequels to a book that may never sell?

My Bad

So I sat down tonight to work on finishing my WIP--the one that is only a few thousand words away from the end--when I suddenly had another, a new, character pop into my head.

I was not going to take the bait, right? I mean, I'm so close to the end of this book. There is no way another character is going to flex his muscles at me and make me leave my nearly-finished WIP.

But this character was a girl, a poor, sweet, helpless girl who wanted to tell me the story of her benefactress, a bossy princess who thinks the world revolves around her. But I could see through the princess and I knew the real hero of this story would be the girl. She hasn't told me her name yet, but I'm already caught. I HAVE to find out her story.

In fact, I did what I swore I would never do (again). I left my WIP for a new one.

Oh, the horror!

I opened another page and I started writing. I only wrote a paragraph, but I had to! I couldn't focus on the original WIP until this girl, the sweet, unassuming little girl, could start her story. She found a way to ensnare my soul. She looked at me with her puppy dog eyes and I melted. Bad me! Bad, bad me!

I did go back to my original WIP, but I couldn't do more than write a few sentences. All I can think about is the girl.

But I'm going to make up with my original WIP and finish. Soon. Now I have to finish soon so I can focus on the girl.

Hmm. I wonder what her name is.

April Fool's Day

I'm not a big fan of today. Never have been. I'm not a prankster. I don't enjoy seeing pranks done on others. I guess I'm just a big party pooper.

But I come from a family of teasers, which is slightly different than tricksters but just as annoying. One of my brothers is the worst. So is my dad and just about every single one of his siblings. My mother's siblings don't lag far behind in this, either. Can you imagine the horror that was my childhood? They teased me that I was a boy (don't ask me why, but they called boys girls and girls boys--still do in fact). When I was six they teased me that I was going to be sick for a whole year. They teased me about kissing boys (long before I ever had any interest in it). Teasing is how they show love. I don't get it, but at least I've come to understand their unique and at times obnoxious behavior. But I digress...

So though today is the day for tricks, pranks, and all things foolish, today I vow to do no harm. I really don't have it in me anyway. I'm not in the mood.

Yeah. I'm such a party pooper.

coming soon...