Let It Go... Or not!

It's the perfect time of year to reflect on our accomplishments and revisit goals that may or may not have been met. My goal for 2014 was to take my rewritten YA Sci-fi and find an agent equally excited about it. It was new and shiny--I'd raked over every word, hooked every chapter end, and added short term goals for my MC to ramp up the tension. (Look for a later post from me about over editing) I knew this manuscript forward, backward, and sideways. The world I'd created completely sucked me in.

I've been very open about my query process...the partial and full requests...the rejections...and the LaLa Land some of my submissions fell into. I fully intended to send my queries in batches, tweak things as needed, and to not stop until I reached one hundred agents. I have several dear friends who submitted over sixty, seventy even eighty queries before they received agent representation so I knew going into it that it might be a long haul. But here I am, only a little over halfway through my goal and I've found my heart just isn't into it.

You see, I have a new manuscript (a YA historical fiction). New characters insisting I share their secrets and dreams. They. Are. Consuming. Me! Anything that takes me away from their lives--even if it's something as simple as researching new prospects for my Sci-fi, puts me into a tailspin. It's insane. So I've decided to put my old MS on the shelf for a while to prevent distraction from my WIP. I'm not letting it go forever. Someday I'll pull it out and read it with fresh eyes. And who knows, maybe I'll fall in love with it all over again.

photo credit: jackoraptor via photopin cc

Become An Honorary Revision Warrior

We have something to CELEBRATE! Revision Warriors has reached 20,000 page views. Wahoooo! 

I know, right?! TWENTY THOUSAND is a big number.

But wait, there's more! Our very own, super fabulous RW'er, Michelle Smith, just released the cover of her book Play On due out in April 2015. Show Michelle some love and add it to your TBR list: Goodreads

To show our how much we appreciate everyone’s support, we want to invite two people to become honorary revision warriors for a day. Whoop, whoop! *fires confetti cannon*

At the bottom of this post, there’s a Rafflecopter widget thingy (totally the official name, btw. ;) ). You can sign up anytime between now and Sunday, July 27th at Noon ET, and we’ll pick two winners that’ll receive a 3 page critique from a mix of revision warriors. Click here to check out our bio’s.

Fun, right?

Now for the official stuff:


• Critique will be of the first three double spaced pages of your manuscript. We’ll ask the winners to submit their pages within 72 hours after notification.

• Completed manuscripts and WIP’s alike are welcome.

• Your pages with our comments will appear on the blog. Critique is learning process for everyone, not just the author receiving feedback, and not everyone has amazing critique partners. We want to show what that process looks like. If you’re not okay with your pages appearing publicly, please do not enter.

• Blog readers will be encouraged to leave respectful, constructive comments. If that makes you uncomfortable, please do not enter. 

• Winners will be announced on the blog July 28th. We’ll also email winners with additional details, like how to get your pages to us. *Make sure you leave your email address with your entry * If we do not have your email address, or don’t hear back from you within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen. *

• Critique #1 will go live on the blog Monday August 11th and Critique #2 will be Monday August 18th.

• Because this is all about YOU, we want to make entering easy. Just leave a comment telling us you want to enter and fill out the Rafflecopter with your name and email. Tweeting and/or spreading the news about the giveaway is not required (but it is appreciated. hint, hint.) 

Again, we’ll contact the winners directly to discuss the who, when, and where, so please, please, please, make sure to leave your email.




Okay, on to today’s post. Because this blog about all things writing and revising, and we’re doing this fancy critique giveaway, I’m going to talk a little bit about critique groups. It’s kind of a big topic, so this is more like the tip of the iceberg, but if you're thinking about joining an established group or maybe starting your own, here are some things to think about.

Why are you seeking a critique group?

The obvious answer, of course, is to make your writing better. But can you dig deeper here? Better, how? Plot holes, character development, world building, dialog, pacing, grammar? Are any of these areas your specialty? Understanding your strengths, weakness, and what you hope to get out of a group, is a big step toward finding your people. And yes, my CP’s are definitely my people.  #CPLOVE, FTW

Once you know what your needs are and what you can offer others, here are some more things to consider:

 How much time can you dedicate to a group?

Joining or starting a critique group is a commitment, both of your time and the time of others. Respect that. Yes, sometimes life happens, but for a group to stick together long term, everyone involved is responsible for doing his or her part.

• How often does the group meet? Weekly, biweekly, etc.
• Will you meet in person or online to discuss critiques? If online, what service will you use? GChat, Google Hangout, Skype?
• Will there be written critiques? If so, how will those be handled?
• When is the submission deadline?
• When are critiques due?
• For written critiques, will you setup a Google or Yahoo group? Email only?
• Are there word count limits.


What can be submitted for critique?

• Will any genre be off limits?
• Any content restrictions?
• Are all categories accepted? A, NA, YA, MG, PB
• Are short stories, poetry, queries, and/or synopses acceptable for submission to the group?

How will online critiques be run?

• Is there a group leader?
• How will you ensure that time is used efficiently?
• Will you focus on big picture issues and leave nit picks and grammar for the author to read on their own?
• Is there a time limit for each critique?

Some final thoughts for critique-givers and receivers:

• In the end, only you know what is best for your story!  Use the comments that resonate with you and don’t worry about the rest.
• Critters, understand that a suggestion you gave may not be used, and that’s perfectly okay. Our job is to offer our help, not make another author’s story into something we would write ourselves.
• NEVER share another author’s work with anyone outside of the group. This one should go without saying, but I’ve heard horror stories so I’m throwing it in here.
• Be vocal.
o Be polite, but don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. You are responsible for making your writing better and getting the most out of your group. If you have specific areas you want feedback on, let the group members know.
o The opposite is also true—if you do not want certain types of critiques, make that clear with your submission. Ex: This is a first draft. Please don’t focus on grammar.
• And most importantly, respect your group members. I cannot stress this enough. Be kind, supportive, and constructive. Always.


Okay – that was way more than I meant to write, and it’s only the starting point! If you have any questions about joining or starting your own group, please ask in the comments. We’d love to help! Or if you have experiences about critiquing you’d like to share, we want to hear ‘em!

And without further ado, Rafflecopter widet thingy is below. Please don’t be shy about entering! We won’t bite, I promise.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What? You're Still Not Published?

I wasn't sure what to blog about this week until I ran into a dear friend I haven't seen in a while. She kindly asked me how the book was going. Bless her, she didn't even blink when I asked her which one. The follow-up question, isn't it published yet?, is one I've been asked many, many times. 

The thing about writing a book is that -- drum roll please -- it's really, really hard. *cymbal slap* And like most things that are difficult in life, it also takes time. Lots and lots of time.

From the fruition of an idea to the final, polished project, a manuscript can take years to write. Once it's ready, a person who wants to get traditionally published needs to obtain an agent. Every query you send, needs to be personalized and every agent requests something different -- a query only, a query and few first pages, a synopsis... 

I think it took me three months to query a dozen agents. I most likely will be done with the first draft of my WIP by the time I've queried every agent I want for my last novel. Also, I like to query in small batches since some agents provide helpful feedback. This lets me fix some things before sending out new queries. (See Querying and Dealing with Rejection) The turn-around time for a response from an agent can be 24 hours (probably less than 1%) four to six weeks, or have a policy of 'if you don't hear from us in eight to twelve weeks, consider us a pass'. 

 Like most writers, I'm balancing family, scheduled employment, writing new words, editing old words, beta reading awesome words, critiquing submissions from my CPs (Critique Partners) in both my writers groups (and I know several writers in three and even four groups), read published books to keep up-to-date on what's currently out there because the more you read, the better writer you'll be, and I *heart* books. Oh and let's squeeze in lunch with a friend and watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy. 

I'm not complaining, it's all par for the course. But it's definitely difficult to explain that you might spend a year on a book and its edits, spend another year querying it and, if there's not interest, you might end up shelving it. My first manuscript has been officially shelved for three years. Hopefully, the project I'm querying now won't end up in the same fate. But if it does, I'll keep on writing.

Since I'm writing this blog, I want to jump on a soapbox for a second. (My post, my rant :)) For all those picture book authors out there, I give you a giant hat tip. I wish I had your talent and ability. I get very annoyed when I hear someone say they're ready to publish the picture book they wrote this morning over a plate of omelets or worse, persons who believe before writing a "real" book they could churn out a few picture books as a bit of a warm up. Writing picture books is VERY hard. And if you don't believe me, check out the jobs the amazing and talented Anna Dewdney held before she was able to write full-time. 

Things that keep me positive? Check this out. :) 

U2 Rejected? No way!

photo credit: Arya Ziai via photopin cc

Owning Your Happiness: Getting A Grip on Extreme Emotions

"An emotional roller coaster" Cliche, yes? But isn't it also the most apt description of a writer's life? I sure think so.

Sometimes I find myself wondering why can't I just be normal?! Gah! 

Of course, I already know the answer. There is no such thing as normal. There's just me and you and every other person out there in the universe handling our ups and downs as best we can.

The thing is, I'm floored by how fast I can go from a *mostly* balanced human, to ecstatic OMG my words are AWESOME, to OMG I suck so, so, sooooo bad.

It can happen over the course of a week, a day, or even minutes. It can strike at any time - drafting, revising, querying and, though I haven't reached the next phase in my journey yet, I'm sure it continues through submissions, publication, reviews, writing that next book, and so on.

I call these extreme highs and lows writer's bipolar syndrome, and I think what it comes down to is letting outside influences define who I am as a writer. It's giving up control of my happiness (and my sanity) and putting that responsibility on someone else. And that's not fair. Not to me or anyone else. It's not anyone's job to convince me that I'm a good writer. It have to believe it. If I don't, why should anyone else?

I've *known* this for a long time, but knowing it and really believing it, aka putting it into practice, aren't the same.

If you're in the same boat as me, or if you ever find yourself rocketing from one extreme to the next, try to remember:

* Celebrate success without letting it go to your head.
* Understand that rejection is not personal. It is not a reflection of your ability as a writer.
* Do not let rejection diminish the successes you've had. One doesn't not cancel out the other.
* Enjoy YOUR journey. Everyone's path is unique. Don't compare yourself to anyone else.
* Believe in your talent. Don't try to be like, or write like, anyone else.
* Publishing is subjective. A compliment or a rejection does not change the value of your words.
* Confidence starts and ends with you. Take responsibility for it and know that you are the best you can be at this moment.

So basically, what I'm saying is this:

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt

And when you need your spirits lifted, watch this video of badassary. http://youtu.be/n4ihPazJFrQ

And when you need a smile, I give you: The highs and lows of querying in Buffy .gifs

Waiting after you've sent off a batch of queries.

More waiting

Every time your email dings

When you get a form rejection

Getting support from your CPs

When your email dings after you've received several form rejections

Your first partial request. This is totally gonna be it!

Your CPs cheering you on.

The next time your email dings

Rejection on your partial

Email dings

Full Requst! Yeah!!  THIS time is it, for sure.

Email dings

Rejection on your full

Email dings. (you're starting to lose it now)

Request! (happy, and also a little bit crazy)

When your CPs pull you back from the edge

Querying & Dealing with Rejection

So you’ve finished your book, ran it through your critique group (or groups) edited, edited, edited, sent it to a handful of Beta Readers, edited it again and now you’re finally ready to get that book to a publisher. Time to celebrate, right?

Wait! Stop the confetti toss -- there are several more steps.  Okay, sure, take a minute to be proud of yourself. Eat a Twinkie. Play ‘Crazy Train’ on your air guitar. Sing ‘I am the Champion’ at the top of your lungs. You completed a book. WOOT! WOOT! Someone once told me that only a small percentage of persons who start a book ever finish it. I’m not sure how true that is, but it’s nice to think that I’ve accomplished something special.  A few times actually… But my other manuscripts gathering dust were great opportunities to develop my skills, right??

For any of us who’ve decided to get our books traditionally published, we know what’s next.  Oh yes.  I’m talking about catching the attention of an awesome literary agent, an amazing cheerleader-negotiator-guidance counselor-editor-marketing guru who’ll love our words as much as we do. But in order to catch the attention of an agent, we first must enter *cue evil music* the dreaded Query Zone.

 Don’t misunderstand. Literary agents aren’t evil. Actually, every agent I’ve encountered either formally (SCBWI conferences) or informally (Twitter, rejection emails/letters, blog posts) have all been polite and professional. And I’d go a step farther and say they have even been pretty dang nice! Not yet have I met one with a set of horns, spear-ended tail or split tongue.

I know, I know -- when I decided to write a book I was supposed to slap myself around for a good year or two to develop that thick skin.*picture Arnold Schwarzenegger – I eat green berets for breakfast!* Because writers trying to break into the ‘biz’ should know that rejections are just part of the cycle…

Yes, of course, rejections are part of the process. But the truth? No matter how cool I want to appear to fellow writers and family (you know what I’m talking about -- that brush off the shoulder – oh yea, I eat rejections for breakfast!). The truth is rejections hurt.  There I’ve said it – in front of everyone. They HURT dang it!!

*jumping down from soapbox* Since I’m revealing everything, let me go a step farther and admit that not only do rejections hurt, but I’ve actually developed different levels of rejectionitis.

A rejection from a query – a twinge of discomfort deep in my belly.

A rejection from a query, synopsis and sample pages - heaviness in the abdomen.

A rejection from a partial – moderate, lingering discomfort in the chest and a burning sensation on the back of my neck (I know weird, right? Last time my husband almost dialed 911)

And finally, a rejection from a full – all the above plus nauseous sometimes with or without vomiting.

Okay, so I could go on and on, but enough whining.  I've actually found ways for dealing with rejectionitis.

Clown Around: Laughter really is good for the soul and I can often find the humor in pretty much anything. In truth, though, clowns kinda freak me out.

The Rotation: Send out a new query every time a rejection comes in. I researched and found fifty agents I thought might be a good fit for my book and notated them in Query Tracker. Then I sent out ten queries. Every time a rejection comes in, I send a new query out to the next agent on my list. It feels good to know that even though an agent has passed there’s another who might feel that special connection with my story. (Did you know in Twitter and Tumblr there is a Manuscript Wish List? Check it out #MSWL)

Go West Side Story: Reach out to your posse – your fellow writers who have been there. It’s nice to remember you’re not alone. *When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way*

Get Possessed: Jump into a new story. There’s something therapeutic about making up new worlds and throwing yourself into them. Into the story that is – not the pits of hell.

Of course, when you query, it’s important to follow the rules.  Spend time researching the agents to make sure they handle what you’ve written and personalize your message to them.

So, now that you have permission to stomp your feet and scream “Why not me?” Do share. How do you handle rejections?

photo credit: CherrySoda! via photopin cc photo credit: bunchofpants via photopin cc

Create an Agent Bible with OneNote

There are so many amazing agents out there! 

Researching them, and determining who might be a good fit for my almost-ready-to-query manuscript, is one of my most favorite procrastination stations.

Something about gathering all this info, reading awesome agent interviews, and stalking Twitter feeds, (as one does) fills me with all the happy feels. One of these fabulous people may become the champion of my book. Squeeee! You know that feeling, right? That hand waving in the air feeling as you yell Pick me! Pick me! Which is totally writer code for please love my book.

When I'm in need of a break from revising, editing , and polishing the MS, I set about working on The Amazing Agent Bible of Awesomeness! (said in booming movie voiceover fashion)

I'm not gonna lie to you, researching agents properly takes time, but it is time well spent. So even though it may technically fall into the category of procrastination, if procrastinate you must, at least this project is of the useful variety. *flashes sideways glance at Pintrest*

There are tons of ways to keep track of all the agent info you garner, but I'm a visual person so I created an agent bible that's informative AND pretty to look at. It also negates having to bookmark all the info and then try to find it later, because there is a LOT of info I want to take into consideration as I narrow down my query list. So let's get started, shall we?

Here's how you can create your own fancy agent bible using OneNote. Tweet This!

In the past, OneNote came standard with the student and *I think* home editions of Microsoft Office Suite, but nowadays it is supplied with all editions, so there's a very good chance you have this program and didn't even know it. If you're not sure, check your Microsoft Office programs folder and see if it's there. If it is, open it up and click File, New and choose a name for your first notebook. Once that's done, click Create Notebook to get started.

*Note: I’m using OneNote 2013, so some features may look a little different depending on your software’s version.

You'll end up with a screen that looks like the one below. Your notebook's name is on the top left of the screen. Beside it is a tab titled New Section.

A section can have many pages associated with it. To the right, you can see one untitled page with a tab above it that says Add Page. You can create as many pages as you'd like within a section. 

The giant white space in the middle is your workspace for the selected page.

 Rename the untitled section with the name and agency of the first agent on your list. To do this,  right click on the untitled section and select rename. In this example, I've named the section Victoria Marini, Gelfman Schneider

Next, type a page title on the line provided in the workspace. Whatever you type here will show in the right column, where all of your pages for this section of your notebook will live. The title of my first page in this section is General Info, because I'm going to include all the basics about Victoria Marini.

Now comes the fun part! You can include whatever information you want by inserting, importing, typing or pasting. Everything you enter in the workspace appears in its own little box, allowing you the freedom to move it around without needing to mess with any formatting. This is one of the main reasons I like using OneNote instead of Word or Excel for my agent bible. Since I paste in so much information and pictures, it's a hassle to keep fussing with the formatting.

On the right side, I've included a picture of Victoria Marini from the agency's website and next to it, I've pasted in all of her contact info from QueryTracker. Note that all the links remain active.  Also, a source link is automatically included at the bottom when you paste from a website. This makes it super easy to revisit webpages without having to scroll through a thousand bookmarks.

I've also included Ms. Marini's bio and what she's currently seeking, which I pasted from her blog. Again, all the links are active and a handy link to the source info is included at the bottom.

Now that you have the hang of it, you can click the Add Page button on the right and add more pages to this section. Remember, when you type a title on the line provided in the workspace, it will automatically rename the pages shown on the right.

For each agent, I've included foue separate pages: general info, submission guidelines, interviews, and clients.

After you've added all the info you want to include for your first agent, it's time to create a new section.

Click the plus symbol beside the tab and rename it with your next agent/agency. You now have a new workspace and blank pages to work with.

Go ahead and add your next agent. I have Sarah Negovetich of Corvisiero Literary Agency. Again, I start with General Info and then add pages to include the rest. I keep the arrangement of each page the same between agents. You'll see why in a minute.

Here's what it looks like once you've added several sections and pages. A notebook can have as many sections/agents as you like, and each section can have as many pages as you choose.

Submission Guidelines

Interviews

Clients

Above, I said that I keep the arrangement in each section uniform. That's because OneNote allows you to export a page, a section, or even your entire notebook to a PDF, Word, or Excel file. I like exporting to Word where I can do more nitpicky formatting. You can do all this in OneNote, but I do find changing the font over the entire document easier in Word.

Here I add headings, change the font and style, and maybe add a picture or two to make it fun to look at. Below is a two page view in Word once I've done a bit of extras.

Once your agent bible is all sparkly and just the way you want it, you can save it from Word as a .pdf file. And voila! You have your very own fancy shamancy Agent Bible of Awesomeness, and you shall be the envy of all your writing buddies!

There are so many other ways to use OneNote as well, like The Story Bible of Awesomeness! But that’s another post for another day. In the meantime, here’s a OneNote 2013 quick start guide that Microsoft has made available for download if you want to explore all of OneNote's features. 

I’d also like to give a huge shout out to QueryTracker! This is an invaluable resource for finding agents that represent your genre, but it’s also so much more than that. If you haven’t checked out QueryTracker yet, please do. Almost everything on the site is FREE! And free is always good. There are some features that do require premium membership, however at $25 a year, it is well worth it.

Your turn! Have you created your own agent bible of awesomeness? How did you go about it? What types of information are must haves when you research agents for your own MS? I love learning about new tips and tools, so please share your own experiences in the comments.