Paradigm Shift

A few weeks ago, I posted about agents being open to diversity. I didn’t expect the kind of positive responses that I received, and I was so grateful for the discussions that followed. I love having grown up conversations about issues that really matter, especially after watching the fiasco that’s turning out to be our election year.

But I digress.

I wanted to share a few more thoughts, and some comments that really made my day.

One of my friends asked this amazing question:

We all like to talk about ideas. But I think it’s more than talking about it. Or even bringing attention to the issue. As another person stated:

We have to change the way we talk about it. Making diversity seem like the half-brother freezing out in the cold only sets it apart even more. We have to treat it like it’s a part of the family. There’s no reason to act like it’s a new thing, or like it’s something no one’s considered before. Because we’re all exposed to diversity. Even when we don’t realize it.

After that conversation, I started combing through the MSWL threads on twitter, and I noticed two very different ways of approaching diversity.

Here is example number 1:

As you can see, this is what I mentioned in my previous blog post. They want diversity! They’re open to it! But what does that even mean? All that it tells me is that they’re on the band wagon, when they don’t even know what it really means.

Here’s example number 2:

See the difference? These agents take diversity as a given. They’re not throwing out random keywords, they know what they’re looking for, and they’re asking for it. It’s like if you represent speculative fiction and you say something like: guys, I’m seeing way too much paranormal fantasy. Got any contemporary fantasy? Same thing. Diversity is just a part of their list, and they know what kind of stories they’re looking for. 

And this one I just loved:

It's specific. They know what they want, and they're willing to ask for it. 

Even though I'm the one who brought up the topic, I feel like I'm the one who learned from the rest of you! So thank you, to everyone who added comments!

Halfway Through the Year!

Wow. At some point, June snuck in. I’m still signing everything with the date of May.

Halfway through, and time to double check how I’m doing with my goals.

1. Focus on publishing.

In January, I set up a query party, and it was amazing! There were six people from around the world that participated, and we roated queries every week so that we could have someone new critique it. I definitely learned a lot from all of them.

I actually just went through my query again this week, and after one or two more revisions, it’ll be ready to send out. (Though, that’s what I’ve been saying since January, so…)

2. Participate and win both Camp NaNoWriMos and the regular NaNoWriMo

April’s Camp NaNoWriMo was a little interesting. I made a completely different goal for myself to try and get pumped for November, and in a way it worked, in a way it didn’t. I did win, but halfway through the month, I decided to scrap that goal because it had started to frustrate me too much. I went back to revisions, and finished the month strong. I just signed on to the ML for this year’s NaNoWriMo, so I’ll be there cheering everyone on!

3. Read 52 books in the year of 2015

I’m on book number 13. Basically, I’m only about halfway to where I need to be. It’s been awesome though, to know that I need to be reading. Another amazing phenomenon is that I’m throwing books into my to-read shelf without paying as much attention as I might, and often, I’m very surprised by what I’m reading. Less research is actually making the process more interesting.

On the writing side, I’m halfway through my second revision of King’s Councilor. February and March, I took it and tore it apart, throwing in a new beginning, middle and end. Right now, I’m trying to make it a little cohesive before sending it to the betas to be torn apart again.

On a more personal note, my husband and I have been working toward a goal together, and today we made a major breakthrough! I still can’t talk about it yet, but I’m so excited I’ve got butterflies! I hope to tell you about it soon.

What I Learned from a Bad Movie Trailer

As many of you know, in January, I hosted a query party for several writers to come together and critique one another’s queries before we send them out. 

There were several moments of realization during the party.  I probably got through two queries when that lightbulb flashed through my mind. 

I was able to pare down another person’s query into something that made sense.  It wasn’t a long-winded, distracted bundle of words, it was short, succinct, and it made sense.  It focused on the main character, who he was, what he wanted, what the stakes were. 

That’s it.

I tried doing the same to my query, and suddenly it was 50 words longer.  Over the past two weeks, I started working on my 35 word pitch for Pitch Madness.  (If you haven’t heard of it, head over to Brenda Drake’s website!  She hosts some awesome competitions.)  I had a critiquer go through it, and she told me that my pitch was muddled, confusing and vague.  It made sense to me, but to someone who didn’t know the story, apparently it wasn’t clear.

I had another AHA! moment last week.  I’m not sure how, but I came across this trailer for a movie that came out last month.  It’s called Strange Magic.

I think I’ve watched it seven or eight times already.  Even so… I’m still not sure what it’s talking about.  There’s so many characters introduced that I can’t keep track of them.  I think I know who the main character is, but she’s only in there probably about a fourth of the time.  I get that a sister is kidnapped, but I’m not sure why, or what the main character (or who I think is the main character) has to do with the bad guy’s ultimatum.  Why her?  Also, who are all those other people?  

I’ve seen movie trailers where they give the whole story.  But this one, it makes me wonder if there is a story, somewhere beneath all of the odd characters and obvious attempts at jokes.

It also makes me wonder if that’s what my query looks like.  I went back to my pitch, and stated who my main character was, what he wanted, and what the conflict was.  That’s it.  35 words, and it makes sense.  It’s clear, and it sets up exactly what the reader should expect in the story.  No fluff, no other characters, or subplots.

Now it’s time to clean up the query.

Query Party Update

The second week of our Query party is about to come to a close.  We’re already halfway through, which is absolutely amazing!  Thank you to everyone participating! (For those of you who didn't see the original post, the link is here)

I think the part that I’m really loving is the community that it’s creating.  I’m getting feedback from the different participants, and everything has been very positive.  There’s been questions about how queries work, questions about comments they’d received, and I’ve also had some share insights with others that have been fantastic!

The hard part about queries is trying to get an entire story into just one idea, make sure that it’s coherent and then try and sell it.  It’s not going to be written in one go.

I was talking to one of the participants about dealing with feedback.  Unfortunately, especially with queries, a lot of the feedback is going to be: I want to understand this, can you explain more?  And with the length constraints, it’s not going to be possible.  However, I’ve noticed that this kind of feedback is vital because it lets the writer know where they aren’t clear and need to explain.  Or, if they want to know more, that’s probably a good thing!  It means that their interest has been peaked.

So thank you to all that are participating, and for all of you interested, there’s still two weeks left!  Let me know if you want to jump in the last few rounds!

Resolutions for 2014

Last day of 2014!

Earlier this year, I wrote out a list of writing goals that I wanted to accomplish by the end of this year.  Right now’s the time of reckoning. 

1.        Finish writing synopsis for Red WIP, revise query.

Done, done and done.  I believe I’ve revised both multiple times throughout the year.  The query has gone through some extreme changes, but I believe that they’re for the good.

2.       Send out first batch of queries by the end of January

This one was harder.  It’s not easy sending something out and hoping that it’s ready.  But I did do it.  (With a lot of encouragement from hubby.)  I sent out a few queries this year.  Not as many as I should have, but I’ve at least started on that journey.

3.       Rewrite Blue WIP.

I used Camp NaNoWriMo in April to do this.  One month and the entire novel rewritten.  Then, I posted it on Scribophile and had some great critique partners tear it apart.  I’m about 1/3 of the way through a second revision for this year.

4.       Revise Yellow WIP.

Yup.  I can’t remember exactly when I did that, I believe it was the months of May and June.  Once I revised, I posted it on Scribophile, and I am ready to do another revision next year!

This year’s goals I actually completed, which is a shock to me.  Maybe I didn’t set my bar very high? 

Here’s a few things that I accomplished even though I didn’t put it in my resolutions:

1.       Write a new novel in the month of November.  I’m just finishing it up, but I did get to 50,000 in the month of November, which was just as fun as it was last year!

2.       Get published.  In July, I published an article in Home Health Aide Digest on maintaining wellness in the mental health population.  It was a pretty exciting accomplishment, for my writing and for my nursing career!

3.       Become an ML for my region for NaNoWriMo.  This was probably one of my highlights of my 2014 writing accomplishments.  Participating in a live writer’s group, and being able to lead it was a dream come true. 

I’m still working on my writing resolutions for next year.  Hopefully I’ll be able to come up with some harder ones to push me even more.

What are some of your resolutions?  I’d love some ideas!

Query Party Invitation

Is December almost over?  I feel like I just put up the Christmas tree and it’s almost time to take it down again.  And it’s time to start looking at New Year’s resolutions again. 

This next year, I want to focus on my queries and submissions.  It was on my list for last year, but it wasn’t a priority.

What I’ve learned this year is that these letters are even more important than I realized.  I took a new job in September, and I’m now over hiring for my department.  The process of going through resumes has really opened my eyes.  It can take 30 seconds to make a decision.  I’m sure it’s probably even faster for query letters.  It makes me wonder what kind of an impression I’ve made on the agents I did query this year.

So recently, I’ve been researching query letters even more than before and a few weeks ago, I posted an article on a fellow writer’s query process.  (Link here).  It sparked some interest, and I started talking with Vanessa MacLellan and Deborah Osborne (two awesome gals) about having a query party for those who have made that part of their resolutions.  It’s always good to get a second eye, or even a third and fourth eye on those queries before sending them out to an agent.

Here’s how we’re thinking of doing it:  

1.       We’ll create a list of people who are involved and assign each of them a person whose query they’ll read and give feedback on for that week.  (synopsises are welcome too!)

2.       Queries go out on Monday for critiques and are returned by Thursday with any feedback.

3.        That gives us three days to revise and shine before the next round, which will be posted on Friday or Saturday.

We’re hoping to do it once a week for the month of January.

Who wants to participate?  The more the merrier!

For those of you just starting on queries, here’s a list of links that I’ve found very helpful:

Nathan Brandford

Query Shark

Green House Literary

Agent Query Connect

Pub Hub

Miss Snark

How to Write a Great Query (Free Ebook!)

YA Highway

Update

Whew!  I know I’ve been a bit MIA lately, I’ve had a little bit of life get in the way.  Fortunately, it wasn’t anything bad, just a lot of celebrations.

So today, I thought I’d just let you all know what I’ve been up to.

Yesterday, I finally finished the draft of my Yellow WIP, which right now I’m calling The Stone Mason.  I’m going to be doing a final read-through for typos, then hopefully I can find some betas willing to do a structural read for me.  I’m really excited about this one.  I love getting into that kid’s head, and the chance to ‘think’ like a teenage boy. 

I’ve also had some wonderful people going through The King’s Councilor, and I think that they’ve really rooted out some of the plot flaws, especially in the middle.  I’m hoping to jump in and start with revisions in the next few days.  I just need to buy a new blue binder.  Though, I don’t always need an excuse like that to buy office supplies.  Those just make me happy.

This month (at least, if I understand correctly) I’m going to be published!  It’s an article in Home Health Aide Digest on maintaining wellness in the mental health hospice population.  It was an amazing experience working with my editor, and I’m excited to see it come out.  I’ll admit that I check my mailbox frequently as I wait for my copy.

And for those of you wondering about The Orphans of Jadox, I was very blessed to be one of the ones picked by Brenda Drake to participate in the July query workshop.  I can’t wait to get some feedback, and the chance to make it shine even more.  Not that the rejections aren’t fun.  I do keep them all in a file to remind myself that even though they say no, they’re also proof that I’m actually trying.  I don’t think that would have even been a possibility a year or so ago.

Last but not least, I’ve been working on the prewriting for my next NaNoWriMo story!  It’s going to be set in Milwaukee, so hopefully at some point, I’ll learn how to spell that without using spellcheck.  I'm going to also have to assign it a color at some point.  I’ve applied to be a joint ML in my region, and I’m eagerly waiting for their response.

Wow.  When I look over everything, it feels like a lot.  I guess I’ve been so busy I haven’t really paid attention to what’s going on.

So what about the rest of you?  Any news you want to share – writing or otherwise?  

So Little Time

Ever wished you had more hours in the day?  I know I always do.  Though I’d probably just use them to get more sleep. 

Recently, I’ve been finding myself trying to balance even more as I take on extra projects.  I’ve been doing a lot more critiquing, a lot more reading, and I’ve been participating in Camp NaNoWriMo.  Between those, researching and querying agents, the extra overtime at work and the housework that somehow doesn’t always get done, I know why I feel as though there’s a lot on my plate.

Ever feel like your time's getting eaten by a giant caterpillar? 

Despite that, I’m loving this.  I feel like I’m finally getting my stride, forming the habits that I need to continue.  Writing does have a way of consuming just about everything.  Driving to work, I think about my characters.  There are days when they don’t stop chattering in my head.  When I can’t sleep at night (a common side effect of working night shift) I stay up late and do critiquing.  During my lunch break, I pull out a book and read. 

Even this morning, I cleaned the front rooms of my house, so at least I’m not completely slacking on that department.

The secret is finding the time.  Those fifteen minutes that could have been wasted on something else.  The moments of insomnia where I could be tossing and turning in bed.  The lunch break where I could be watching random shows on the TV.  It’s a matter of knowing what to use my time on.  What do I want to focus on?

Plus, setting clear goals helps immensely.  That’s why I love the Camp NaNoWriMo.  I can keep track of my progress throughout the month.  In fact, I’m 4,000 short of completing my goal of 50,000 words revised of the Blue WIP. 

I’ve heard that there’s a way to do the same thing in Scrivener, but I don’t want to set a goal as to how many words need to be in a specific scene or chapter.  Does anyone know how to just set a goal for a specific time and add to it?

We’ve all got the same amount of time.  What matters is how we use it.

Moving Closer

Until recently, I never considered publishing.  I was writing for me, not for anyone else.  I became obsessive about editing and revising, and editing some more.  I even had betas going through my writing to try and improve it.

It wasn’t until my very pushy, yet very supportive husband asked me what I was doing.  I had no clear goals, all I was doing was writing.  But what was I writing for?  For me, right?

But when he asked that question, I started to realize that I wanted to share what I wrote.  For someone like me, so chronically shy that it’s hard to look into people’s eyes, admitting something like that was difficult.  My writing is one of the most personal things that I’ve created, and to share something like that is terrifying. 

Once I realized that I wanted to publish someday, I started making clear, definite goals.  I joined a critiquing website, began researching the publishing industry.  Then, this year, I felt like I was finally ready to take that plunge.  I participated in the #Pitmad in January.  I had one person request my query and first five pages.  After I sent it, she responded with a very nice, very kind rejection. 

So I kept working.  I researched queries.  I practiced and I revised.  Fortunately for me, I can get a bit obsessive about that kind of stuff. 

This week, I participated in a second #Pitmad.  This time, I got another editor to request pages and a query.  And the next day, I got a response.  In it, she told me three times that my query was well written, but because I’d already queried their agency, she wasn’t able to.

Yes, that’s a rejection, but it was a great rejection.  It made me realize that I’m getting closer.  I’m moving toward my goals.  Each step feels like an accomplishment.

How about the rest of you?  Moving toward your goals?  Making those small steps?

The Power of a Word

Lately, I’ve been thinking about words.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been so focused on my query and trying to make every single word exactly right. 

As a writer, I have to remember that each word can have a power that even I may not realize.  No matter who we are, there’s always going to be specific words that have a personal meaning and bring up memories or opinions. 

As a nurse, there’s one specific words that I absolutely never want to hear.  It’s probably not the one that you would think.  In nursing, the worst word you can use is “quiet.”  I don’t like to believe that we’re a superstitious lot, but I’ve experienced firsthand the power of that one single word.  I remember the nights when I get report and the nurse before me tells me: “Everything was really quiet today.”  That’s when I know that my night is going to be miserable.  And it always is.

Even the way a word is used can affect a person.   Think about the term ‘retard’.  I have heard some people who use it as a joke or a putdown and don’t realize how personal and offensive it can be.  But if they were to understand what it really means, what it can do to those who really struggle with prejudice due to the use of that word. 

Or think about the power of the words: "I have a dream."  Do you know who said it?  What does it make you think of?  There is power behind that phrase, and Martin Luther King Jr. knew it.

As I was working on my query, I had the phrase “do something.”  As I was revising, I changed it to “act”.  Just changing a phrase into one single verb, I found that the entire sentence became much stronger.  While editing and revising, it’s important to pay attention to every single word and the power that they bring to the sentence and the story. 

What words have a specific meanings for you?

What are the Stakes?

I’ve been using the past month or so working on my query.  I know, I know.  It seems like a long time, but it’s the first impression of my writing and I don’t want it to be thrown together.  Besides, it took years to revise and rewrite my novel.  I feel like my query should have the same kind of focus.  (Hopefully not a years’ worth.)

Many different people have critiqued my query, and I’ve noticed a certain theme.  Why does this matter?  Why does your character even care?  What are the stakes your character is fighting against?

As I go through possible answers to those questions, and my query has changed quite a bit.  And I’m starting to realize that the stakes need to be personal.  What does it matter if it affects society or changes their environment?  What is it about the situation affect them personally?

For example, in Harry Potter, the main character is fighting against Voldermort, the man who killed his family and is threatening the very society and life that Harry knows.  But what does that matter?  Why does Harry feel the need to fight?  It would have been much easier for him to sit back and let someone else fight the battle.  What is it about the conflict that Harry finds so personal that he’s willing to sacrifice everything, even his own life, to keep Voldermort from wining?

Honestly, I’d love to hear your thoughts to that question.  Is it because of some moral sense of responsibility?  Revenge?  Preserving a world where his place isn’t in the closet?  In memory of those who’ve already died?

The stakes are what makes the character.  If there’s nothing to lose, there’s nothing to win.  Our characters need to be motivated by something that’s so personal that they’re willing to fight until it’s over.

The First Step

I’m not an adventurer.  I usually leave that to my characters. 

For me, I love my comfort zone because it’s cozy and it’s something that I know.  I very rarely take risks without calculating all of the possible outcomes and yet, those risks and changes are what have made my life exciting.  In those moments when I have to move out of my comfort zone, leave what I know or try something new, I get a rush of excitement.

As many of you may remember, one of my New Year’s resolutions involved sending out my first queries in the month of January.  Writing is a passion of mine.  I do it because I love it.  But I’ve gotten to the point where I feel like it shouldn’t just be for me.  I want to share it with others.  Since I’ve decided to try traditional publishing first, that means querying. 

I participated in #Pitmad earlier this month, and WOW!  I was amazed by the fast-paced momentum that it went by.  I’m glad I participated, and maybe someday later I’ll be able to participate in another twitter pitch session, but I’m not sure that I liked the speed that it went by.  I much prefer taking things at my own speed, rather than trying to shout for attention.  I did have one editor request a query and the first 500 words, so it was a good experience, just one I’m not sure I’d repeat.

The rush of having someone actually request a query was fantastic.  The waiting, the anticipation… it was enough to make me want to try again.  This time, I sent out a query on my own, where it was just one on one.  I know the agent probably receives hundreds of queries a day, but at least I don’t have the feeling that I’m one of thousands trying to get attention.  (Though it’s probably not an inaccurate description.)

Last week, I received rejections from both the agent and the editor.  When I was talking to my mom about it later, I told her that I had the urge to print them both out and hang them up on the wall.

It’s not that I enjoy rejection.  I don’t.  But the fact that I was rejected also means that I tried.  I took that first step toward publication.  I tried and I failed.  But that doesn’t mean that I won’t ever succeed.  If I had never tried, then I would never achieve my goals.  If I never take that step, then I’ll never get anywhere.  And that’s why I’m going to celebrate this failure.

Picture taken and edited by me

Taking Chances

When I was little, I really liked watching “The Magic School Bus.”  Something about their zany adventures adding with science was just the right mixture for me.  And there was always Miss Frizzle’s catch phrase:

Photo created by me

Now that should be my theme for 2014. 

I’m a normally cautious person.  I like to examine every option, and usually, my most common decision is to take the safe route.  In high school, I never went out and, I never liked going out of my comfort zone.  Safe is good, it’s not scary.

But safe never got me anywhere.  When I started applying for colleges, there were the safe ones.  The ones I knew I could get into and that I didn’t have to really worry about the applications.  There was one specific school I applied to that was a long shot.  I didn’t have a very good chance, and even if I did, it would be more difficult than going to a school near home.  Instead of moving to a different state, I’d be moving to a different country, learning a new language and a new culture.

I was terrified, but I took the chance.  When I got accepted to a university in Madrid, it took me weeks to convince myself that I wanted it.  That I was ready for it.  It took even longer to convince my parents. 

That one decision, crazy and outside of my comfort zone, was the best decision I ever made.  I found myself becoming more comfortable with myself, making friends I wouldn’t have made otherwise, and I ended up meeting my future husband.  I learned a new language, traveled to places I never thought I’d been and learned how to fend for myself.

You’d think that I’d have learned my lesson, but I still enjoy my comfort zone.  And that includes within writing.  Yes, I’ve slowly expanded the circle, but there’s still stuff that terrifies me.

This month, I finally did something that I never thought I’d be able to do.  I started sending out queries.  Now, that is terrifying.  And yet, I feel like it’s a step in the right direction.  I took a chance.  Was it a mistake?  Possibly, but it’s the only way that I can become a better writing and move past the fear that I have.

So that’s my new theme for this year.  I’m going to “take chances, make mistakes and get messy.”

The Power of Rejection

This week, I did something that I’ve never done before.  I sent a query to an agent.  I’ve sent queries to contests where several agents are involved and slush readers go through and pick the best ones.  In those contests, I’ve just never received a response, meaning that I didn’t make it to the next round.  But this time, an agent provided the opportunity for anyone to send their query and first 5-10 pages and receive either a request for more a very honest response as to why the query is rejected. 

So I summoned up my courage and sent mine.  For a week, I waited, and then I received the response.  It was a rejection, very clear and concise as to why she didn’t want to read the rest of my story.  Her reasoning made sense.  She wasn’t interested in the genre because she’d seen too much.  I know that finding the right fit can be a lot of work.  It’s like going through a bunch of job interviews.  Most of the time, (at least in my experience) rejection is more common than acceptance.

 

Picture taken by me

But there’s something more that this rejection means.  It means that I’ve tried.  I’ve put my toe in the water and stepped out of my comfort zone.  In a way, I’m proud of this rejection.  There’s a part of me that wants to print out the email and save it for future references.  To remind myself that if I don’t try, there’s no way that I can achieve.  So really, this rejection is my first step towards achieving my dreams.

She also gave me some great advice (maybe inadvertently).  She asked me what was unique about my story.  

I’d always focused on telling the important points in my query, who my characters are, what they’re fighting for.  But I’d never thought to focus on what makes my story unique.  Yes, every story has similarities to another, but it’s the differences that counts.  And now I know what to really bring out in my query. 

And that’s why I’m bragging.  I attempted and I didn’t get pulled down by a rejection.  Though maybe you should ask me after 25-50.  

  

Created by me

What’s the last thing you did to work toward your goals?