Even though I LoVE Halloween, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to scary movies and stuff. So my favorite Halloween movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas.
What about you? What's your favorite spooky/scary movie? Are you dressing up this year?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Halloween Blog Hop
Hello! I am also participating in Jeremy Bates' Halloween Hop!
Even though I LoVE Halloween, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to scary movies and stuff. So my favorite Halloween movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas.
We watch it over and over because my four year old loves it too, he loves skeletons. I love the music and the characters, but mostly the music! And this year I'm dressing as a devil, mwa haha. I even have little clip on horns and a red feather boa. Pictures to come!!
What about you? What's your favorite spooky/scary movie? Are you dressing up this year?
Even though I LoVE Halloween, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to scary movies and stuff. So my favorite Halloween movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas.
What about you? What's your favorite spooky/scary movie? Are you dressing up this year?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Warm Fuzzies Blogfest
Hello, all! I'm super duper excited because I've joined Juliana Brandt's Warm Fuzzies Blogfest, where we spend four weeks celebrating being writers and blogging on various subjects. Juliana's blog is here.
The first topic Juliana has presented is how to broach the subject of being a writer to people who aren't writers.
For me, I tell everyone I possibly can because I LOVE being a writer, I want and plan on being published, and I want everyone to know it! Plus, I love answering questions about my books or writing, or oftentimes it branches off so that we end up chatting just about books that we love, which is also fun.
Random thought: There is totally a book board game out there called "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night."
You get together with all your other book nerd friends and quiz each other with the opening lines of books. I'm totally getting it for myself for Christmas. :o)
Juliana has also asked that we share our best/worst responses when we've told someone we're writers. I mostly get this response:
"Really?" *eyebrows leap off foreheads* "What is your book about?"
Then I tell them my little spiel, and they mostly just nod. A few tell me they'd like to read it. Ta dum.
Anyway, check out the blogfest. And also--my friend Liz is having a Halloween Spooktacular Contest on her blog with agent Natalie Lakosil at Bradford Literary judging and offering a query and first ten pages critique! Check it out here.
And what about you? Do you tell people you're a writer?
The first topic Juliana has presented is how to broach the subject of being a writer to people who aren't writers.
For me, I tell everyone I possibly can because I LOVE being a writer, I want and plan on being published, and I want everyone to know it! Plus, I love answering questions about my books or writing, or oftentimes it branches off so that we end up chatting just about books that we love, which is also fun.
Random thought: There is totally a book board game out there called "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night."
You get together with all your other book nerd friends and quiz each other with the opening lines of books. I'm totally getting it for myself for Christmas. :o)
Juliana has also asked that we share our best/worst responses when we've told someone we're writers. I mostly get this response:
"Really?" *eyebrows leap off foreheads* "What is your book about?"
Then I tell them my little spiel, and they mostly just nod. A few tell me they'd like to read it. Ta dum.
Anyway, check out the blogfest. And also--my friend Liz is having a Halloween Spooktacular Contest on her blog with agent Natalie Lakosil at Bradford Literary judging and offering a query and first ten pages critique! Check it out here.
And what about you? Do you tell people you're a writer?
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Query Jitters
Round Three!! Yes, you heard right, this is the third time I've done the whole query thing. So it should be easy-peasy, right? Then why do I get so anxious and nervous and unsure and worried and just plain jittery this time around?
Not that I didn't the first two times. But I'm actually HESITANT to query! I've researched the agent, formatted the query just for that agent, but when it comes to hitting send I have a hard time clicking! Not that I don't ADORE my story (because I do. It's hilarious, it's fun. I lol every time I read it, and I'm the one who wrote it!). Maybe that's why, though.
The first two times I jumped in and submitted my material when I thought it was ready. I'd had people read it, give good advice. I'd made changes based on that advice. I'd printed out the whole enchilada and read every single word aloud to myself. I'd double and triple checked grammar, sentences, plot structure. You get the picture. I even got requests from agents!
But after all of that I also got rejections.
Then I came to find out it wasn't really ready, and I'd already blown my changes with the agents I wanted!
I think I'm so nervous this time around because I don't want to make the same mistakes thrice. I'm so afraid the same things will happen that I don't want to jump right in and send out queries just to get rejections. So I've sent out a few (one rejection so far), and I'm just waiting to see what happens with these three until I send out any more. I'm leery because I think I want it to happen--to get THAT phone call, you know, the one we all dream of. I want it more this time because I feel like this story is the one. This is it.
There isn't much else that my story needs. It's ready. My query is ready. I know it. But there's that little "What if...?" lingering in the back of my mind. What if I think it is, but it really isn't? I've had more people read this ms than any of the others, and I've had more people love it and give great suggestions and then tell me they have no suggestions. So what's my problem?
Do any of you feel that way when you go to query? Do you get jitters and have a hard time hitting the send button? What do you do about it?
Not that I didn't the first two times. But I'm actually HESITANT to query! I've researched the agent, formatted the query just for that agent, but when it comes to hitting send I have a hard time clicking! Not that I don't ADORE my story (because I do. It's hilarious, it's fun. I lol every time I read it, and I'm the one who wrote it!). Maybe that's why, though.
The first two times I jumped in and submitted my material when I thought it was ready. I'd had people read it, give good advice. I'd made changes based on that advice. I'd printed out the whole enchilada and read every single word aloud to myself. I'd double and triple checked grammar, sentences, plot structure. You get the picture. I even got requests from agents!
But after all of that I also got rejections.
Then I came to find out it wasn't really ready, and I'd already blown my changes with the agents I wanted!
I think I'm so nervous this time around because I don't want to make the same mistakes thrice. I'm so afraid the same things will happen that I don't want to jump right in and send out queries just to get rejections. So I've sent out a few (one rejection so far), and I'm just waiting to see what happens with these three until I send out any more. I'm leery because I think I want it to happen--to get THAT phone call, you know, the one we all dream of. I want it more this time because I feel like this story is the one. This is it.
There isn't much else that my story needs. It's ready. My query is ready. I know it. But there's that little "What if...?" lingering in the back of my mind. What if I think it is, but it really isn't? I've had more people read this ms than any of the others, and I've had more people love it and give great suggestions and then tell me they have no suggestions. So what's my problem?
Do any of you feel that way when you go to query? Do you get jitters and have a hard time hitting the send button? What do you do about it?
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
SCBWI Novel Retreat
I just got back from a fabulous weekend in Ashton, Idaho, squashed in a cozy cabin with 15 or so other writers and the bodaciously awesome Emma Dryden, an editor from New York. It was so much fun getting to know new writers, hearing their works and getting awesome feedback not only on my own material, but hearing suggestions on other people's work that I can apply to mine.
We were split into groups of four and I have to say, we had the coolest group. Go Wildcats! ;)
Emma read our first pages and gave critique, and everyone laughed at the title of my ms: Where Are Boys From, Uranus? After reading a segment to Emma and a few other writers, Emma had only one suggestion on my opening pages--I repeated the word "start". Then she was like, "I have nothing else to say, this is really appealing, and I want to know what happens." (Or at least something very similar). Eee! Hooray. So now thanks to the Wildcats and Emma's suggestions, I know exactly what to do with my ms and will hopefully have it ready really soon!
Top Tips From the Weekend:
-Emma suggested to create a questionnaire for your characters (especially MC). Their likes, dislikes. Their favorite things. Where they go when they're alone, their biggest secret, their definition of home, etc. Things that don't necessarily need to go into your novel, but will help make your characters more real.
-Agents will wait for you, so if you get an agent request, you can take a few days (or a few weeks) to make sure you don't rush and blow your chances by having something not as ready as it could/should be.
-Concise writing is better than wordy and flowery. Emma said she likes clean, tight writing where one word can say what two or three could, or one tight scene does what two weaker scenes would.
-Sighs are a weak action, and having your character freeze is cliche.
-Emma frequently referred us to Harold Underdown's website as a reference resource. I haven't checked it out yet, but I will!
-In a query letter, adapt it to each agent you query, and any hints you can give (comp titles) of where your ms will be placed is beneficial. Also, Emma said to add the notion that you're looking for a partner for your writing career, that you have other works in progress.
Anyway, hooray, it was a fabulous weekend! Pictures to come (hopefully)!! :D
We were split into groups of four and I have to say, we had the coolest group. Go Wildcats! ;)
Emma read our first pages and gave critique, and everyone laughed at the title of my ms: Where Are Boys From, Uranus? After reading a segment to Emma and a few other writers, Emma had only one suggestion on my opening pages--I repeated the word "start". Then she was like, "I have nothing else to say, this is really appealing, and I want to know what happens." (Or at least something very similar). Eee! Hooray. So now thanks to the Wildcats and Emma's suggestions, I know exactly what to do with my ms and will hopefully have it ready really soon!
Top Tips From the Weekend:
-Emma suggested to create a questionnaire for your characters (especially MC). Their likes, dislikes. Their favorite things. Where they go when they're alone, their biggest secret, their definition of home, etc. Things that don't necessarily need to go into your novel, but will help make your characters more real.
-Agents will wait for you, so if you get an agent request, you can take a few days (or a few weeks) to make sure you don't rush and blow your chances by having something not as ready as it could/should be.
-Concise writing is better than wordy and flowery. Emma said she likes clean, tight writing where one word can say what two or three could, or one tight scene does what two weaker scenes would.
-Sighs are a weak action, and having your character freeze is cliche.
-Emma frequently referred us to Harold Underdown's website as a reference resource. I haven't checked it out yet, but I will!
-In a query letter, adapt it to each agent you query, and any hints you can give (comp titles) of where your ms will be placed is beneficial. Also, Emma said to add the notion that you're looking for a partner for your writing career, that you have other works in progress.
Anyway, hooray, it was a fabulous weekend! Pictures to come (hopefully)!! :D
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