Give it a Rest

I finished my epic fantasy, In the Seventeenth Year, over eighteen months ago. A small publisher requested the full manuscript, asked for edits, and then held onto the revised manuscript for almost a year. When they finally got back to me, they passed on the manuscript, but they provided a (much appreciated) list of things their editors did and did not like about the manuscript.

While I was waiting to hear back about Seventeenth Year, I wrote my paranormal romance, Killing Kessler. Now that Killing Kessler is almost ready for the query stage, I'm beginning another revision of Seventeenth Year. When I wrote Seventeenth Year, I really thought I'd done the best job I could possibly do. Now, looking at it over a year later, I'm amazed at what I'm finding, especially the extensive use of passive tense. Maybe I've just grown as a writer (which would not have happened had I not spent that year writing Killing Kessler), but I really do believe the year I took off from Seventeenth Year has allowed me to look at it with a critical eye I never would have had before. Though I had routinely set Seventeenth Year aside for a couple of weeks between revisions, I never noticed the overuse of "was" and "were" until I'd let the book rest for a year.

First Draft in Thirty Days by Karen Wiesner (one of my all-time favorite writing reference books - if you're an outliner, I highly recommend it) advises setting a manuscript aside for a few weeks or even months after finishing the outline, after completing the first draft, and after final editing and polishing. With all this setting the book aside, sometimes it seems I'll never actually get to the query stage. But if I'm completing other steps of the process for other books along the way, soon I'll have several books ready for submission.

That's great, but as I go through this revision of Seventeenth Year, I'm discovering that's not the biggest advantage. Giving a manuscript a lengthy cooling off period really does allow me to come back to it with a completely fresh eye, seeing things I'd missed time and time again on my earlier edits. Yes, all this waiting does take an extraordinary amount of patience, but it doesn't seem so long when I'm working on another stage of another project in the meantime. Besides, we're writers, we know all about waiting, right? :)

What about you? Do you work on more than one project at a time? Do you give your manuscripts rest periods at various stages? If so, how long?

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Toss Around Thursday - Blog Schedules

I've been thinking for a couple of months now that I'd like to follow a schedule with my blog. This is what I have in mind:
Monday - a writerly topic, such as picturing your characters
Wednesday - either another writerly topic or a bloggy topic, such as blogging on a schedule
Friday - what's happening in the blogosphere: mentioning contests and blogfests, giving away awards, entering contests such as Jen at Unedited's Friday Something vs. Something or T.J. Carson's Famous Friday Contest.

Since I'm posting a Toss Around Thursday question, you can see this whole schedule thing hasn't happened for me yet. I have great intentions every week, but something always comes up that I want to post on a certain day, and then I just end up following my old Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday schedule with almost no format. I'd like to follow a schedule because I think it would be easier to plan topics if I at least knew the ballpark of what I wanted to write about (and I thrive on organization.) But I've also seen lately that it's hard for me to stick to a schedule, and I hate to put constraints where they don't need to be.

So I'm wondering what you guys think. Do you use a schedule? Do you appreciate or even notice when other bloggers do? Do you recommend using one? Why or why not?

An Agent's Advice on Finding an Agent

In my last post, I told you about a web seminar I attended given by literary agent Mark McVeigh. (To visit The McVeigh Agency website, click here. To visit Mark's blog, click here.) Several people commented that they'd like to hear what I learned in that seminar, so today I'd like to share some of the highlights.

* When querying an editor, don't mention several projects, just your strongest. You can let them know you're a versatile writer by saying something like "I write middle grade and chapter books as well," but query only one project at a time.

* Have a few projects going on at once (Side note: this is something I've been doing for a while now, and it is so helpful!)

* Think outward to your letter's recipient. Ask yourself what this person wants and then give it to them.

* You can find out what people in the industry want by checking sources such as Publisher's Marketplace, Google, SCBWI, and Verla Kay.

* An author should be prepared to describe their work in three different ways:

#1 - A one-sentence summary that invites discussion and leaves the listener asking for more.

#2 - A 50-word pitch that tells the whole story: beginning, conflict, resolution, main character, secondary characters, time period, etc. (This is what you'll use in your query letter.)

#3 - A 100-150-word synopsis that gives a sense of character development, setting, how your story connects to today's readers, etc.

That's just the basics, there was a lot more great information shared at the webinar, but I don't have the time or space to cover it all here. Mark is offering more webinars on a variety of topics. His webinars include ample time for Q&A and a homework assignment for which he provides feedback. If you're interested in this opportunity, just let me know so I can point you in the right direction.

Side Note: If you'd like to find out a FREE and EASY way to donate a book to a child in need, click here.

Web Seminar with Agent Mark McVeigh

A few weeks ago, literary agent Mark McVeigh invited a group of his blog followers to particpate in a webinar session about publishing, and I was one of the lucky followers!

Mark is an agent with the Mark McVeigh Agency. Before that, he was an editor for eleven years, including editorial director at Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing Division. Mark definitely knows the publishing industry. He's also a former teacher, so he knows how to structure a class and how to teach. What an awesome combination!

During the seminar, using the webcam on my computer and a website Mark directed us to, I was able to see and hear Mark and the other participants, and they were able to see and hear me. I was pretty nervous I wouldn't be able to get the whole thing working, but using Mark's directions I was up and web conferencing in no time. The really cool part is, I didn't even have to leave the comfort of my own kitchen...no travel, no hotel, no babysitters. I could even get up to let the dog outside when I needed to. I just love technology!

We focused on how to get an agent, an editor, and get published. I learned so much and took pages of notes, which I've already referred to repeatedly. We were all able to ask questions, which was so cool! Another valuable part of the webinar was the writing project he assigned, which we later submitted to him via email and he critiqued. How cool is that?

Many of the group members formed an online critique group, and I even found a beta reader in the group, which is like gold! I stay in touch with other participants through emails and through our blogs, and you know how much I love new bloggy friends!

Thank you to Mark - who is planning more of these webinars in the future, so check with me if you're interested - and all the other participants, who made this such a wonderful experience!

Donating Books to Children in Need (it's FREE and EASY)

I've just learned about a great opportunity to make a difference in a child's life. BlogHer and BookRenter have teamed up to get books into the hands of children in need.

From blogher.com:

"From May 3-28, together we are working to make a difference in children's lives by generating new books for children who need them most - via the nonprofit organization First Book."

All you have to do is leave a comment here telling them "What book has had the greatest impact on your life?", and they'll donate a book to a child in need - up to 1,000 books.

What could be easier than that?

My answer: Anything by Judy Blume - Deenie, Blubber, Then Again Maybe I Won't, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, etc. Judy Blume made me want to be a writer. She's the only person I've ever sent a fan letter to - and boy was I excited when she wrote back (even if it was a form letter)!

How about you? Which book has made the greatest impact in your life?

VIDEO BATTLE: Bikini vs. One-Piece

Hooray - it's Friday again, time for Jen at Unedited's Friday Video Battle. The battle today is bikinis vs. one-pieces.





The other bloggers playing this week are:

The Alliterative Allomorph
The Misadventures in Candyland
T.J. Carson's Writing Endeavors
Unedited
Open a Window
Make sure you check them all out!

Also, check out T.J.'s blog to see her Famous Friday Contest entries.

Have you entered Jackee's Great May Scramble at Winded Words yet? If not, it's not too late!

Have an awesome Friday everyone!

Let's Talk Blogfest

Roni over at Fiction Groupie is hosting the Let's Talk Blogfest today. The rules for this blogfest are simple, just post a short excerpt of your favorite dialogue scene.

My excerpt comes from my epic fantasy, In the Seventeenth Year. Keenan and his companions have just battled an army of the evil King Xavier's soldiers. They would have lost the battle, except the beautiful Anjali, a human-elf hybrid with supernatural powers (such as creating fire - think Stephen King's Firestarter) came to their rescue. Keenan is attracted to Anjali, but he's in denial. Anjali has a secret of her own: she's engaged (against her will) to Xavier's son.

"You and that soldier called each other by name," Keenan said. "If you are an enemy of Xavier, how is it that you are so familiar with his soldiers?"

She boldly met his gaze. "I have fought his soldiers before."

"Pardon me, my lady, but it seems that anybody you may have fought in the past would be ash in the wind by now."

"I did not always have the powers I now possess."

"Is that so? I have never before heard of a half-breed developing new powers with time." Keenan had chosen his words carefully, and he enjoyed seeing the displeasure in her deep green eyes. "Half-breed" was not a kind term.

"And just how many half-breeds do you know, sir?" she snapped.

"Enough!" Nolan said. "The lady is right. We owe her a great debt. Without her Julian would be in the hands of those soldiers, possibly even dead. We will welcome her without reservation."

"Welcome her?" Keenan repeated. "What does that mean?"

Nolan looked at the elf. "You asked earlier to join our group. If the offer still stands, we will gladly accept your help."

A triumphant smile lit her face. "Thank you, sir. I will be honored to join your company."

Keenan snorted. "This is mad! She is extremely dangerous and, if you haven't noticed, on a first-name basis with Xavier's soldiers. Not only that, she's been spying on us."

"I said enough!" Nolan shouted. "When you learn to throw fireballs at Xavier's men, then maybe we will have no more need of her. Until then, we will take any help she can give us."

"Perfect," Keenan muttered. "Let's bring her along. That will make it so much more convenient for her to murder us in our sleep."

The elf tossed silky waves of hair over her shoulder and glared at Keenan. "You can rest easy, sir. If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."

That's it! Thanks for reading. Make sure to hop over to Fiction Groupie to see the rest of the entries and check those out, too!

Side Note: I just successfully added line breaks by editing the html! Thanks for all your help and suggestions, everyone!