Tag Archives: Authors

Sep 03 2012
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Life, Writing

D-O-N-E (For Now)

Oh man, if I could count the number of times I’ve said I was done with my book in the past 6 months, well, I guess I would feel like a liar. But, seriously, this time I mean it!

Six full times through on my own, seven readers, eight if you include myself. 69,536 words. 184 single spaced pages. D-O-N-E.

I’m not allowing myself to read it again right now.  I’m of the opinion I could make subtle changes to my words for centuries. I’m ready to ship this bad boy out and get started on something fresh, something new.

So, in the spirit of publicly decreed focus, here is my remaining to-do list:

1. Format the sucker. You know, double spaced, indents, all that fun crap I should have been doing from day one of Nanowrimo.  You live, you learn.

2. Write my generic query letter to be tweaked per agent. Oh yeah, and I guess write a synopsis too.

3. Enter my last line edits from my two superstar remaining readers.

4. Send the beast out, (starting with the 31 agents I compiled last May).

5. Wait, hope, wait, start something new.

There you have it, a plan, a little excitement, a little trepidation, a little self-doubt, a little self-congratulations. A little of everything really.

I know in reality, if it’s ever going to be read by a larger audience, it’s not done, it will have more editing, more rewriting as it moves through the various states of either traditional or self-publishing. But at least for today, it’s D-O-N-E.

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Aug 25 2012
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Writing

Why E-Publishing Calls My Name

Let’s be honest.  We all prefer traditional publishing.  You know, a real, hard copy of our books available in bookstores nationwide, worldwide even.  Just the idea of holding my book in my hands, tangible, validated by some credentialed person who does not know me, gives me that funny, excited feeling in my stomach, butterflies. However, I keep getting the same little message presented to me by the universe.

If I can’t get an agent, at least e-publish and put it out there.

A coworker friend is married to a writer who just finished a non-fiction book.  They live in a local university community and are friends with people that are both published and publishers.  Instead of querying agents, her husband plans to simply e-publish and hope he can build an audience before approaching or being approached by the necessary people.  His strategy is not unusual.  I read about authors almost daily that e-published, found readers, then published traditionally.

Then, of course, there are all the agent blogs that criticize e-publishing.  A few try to suggest it’s a viable option for some, but the undertone is always condescending, like it is still some kind of vanity press.  My friend pointed out that of course they feel this way, e-publishing diminishes the value of an agent.  Numbers speak to publishers for themselves.  This recent Forbes article sums up the indie publishing debate quite nicely.

Still, I would be thrilled to have an agent fighting for my book.  I’m planning to query the little list of agents I assembled in the spring, thirty some-odd people that represent successful works similar to mine.  But, when I reach the end of that list, rejection rite of passage likely complete, I will be left with the choice to e-publish and put it out there, so perhaps, some people who like it will find it in the sea of other novice, e-published authors.

If you have e-published, how did you decide to price your work?  What platform(s) did you choose?  With what success?  I’m inclined to charge just a dollar or give it away for free, because really, my goal is not so much to make money, but rather to begin the foundation for a lifelong career.  Other books will follow.  I know this is a debated topic, so I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Of course, the goal is this, but maybe in the beginning, it’s better to start somewhere than nowhere at all? (And, yes, this is a recycled pic from my leftover pile of summer reading I wish I had time for!)

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Aug 19 2012
9 Comments
Writing

How do you really feel about your writing?

I’m halfway through rereading my book.  I’m moving slowly because life has taken back over. Teaching, family, friends, my smelly dog.  While the pace is frustrating, I’m trying to relax and just accept that it will all happen with time.  This is my first book.  The hurry is self-created.

R-E-L-A-X.

A couple questions keep resurfacing, that I am very curious to know how others feel.  The first, do you ever really love your writing?  I want honest answers.  It won’t sound arrogant to me to hear yes, or self-depricating to hear no, I’m just curious because I bounce all over the place, even within the same piece.  While I love to write, I’m not sure I love what I write.

Some days I think it’s good, others I recognize I still have room to grow.  Probably, it is some mixture of both good and need for growth, I get that.  I just wonder whether writers commonly like their own work or continue to be critical of it even after they finish.  Other than reading for flow and mistakes, I’m done with this book.  I want to move on, I feel like I will do better with a fresh story.

To be clear, I’m by no means saying my story is bad or that I’m giving up on it, I just don’t know if it’s unusual to feel so mixed about my writing.  I’m proud I did it, I think it’s readable, I like the plot, I just know I’ll also get better as I go.  I’ve decided that if I can’t get an agent/publisher, which I know is highly possible, I want to e-publish just to share it, to put it out there, to help me grow.

So, here are my questions for writers:

How have you felt about your writing when you’ve finished?  Confident, unsure, both?

What e-publishing communities have you enjoyed the most?  I spent some time on smashwords and amazon today.  Not sure what’s the best option, although as usual, I’m a couple steps ahead of myself because I still need to finish and at least submit it to some agents for the ritualistic rite of passage.

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Aug 16 2012
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Teaching, Writing

Why I Heart Patricia Polacco

Patricia Polacco, you never let me down.

This week we read the Butterfly, written about a French family hiding a Jewish family in World War II.  Despite the mature content and need to build prior knowledge for students before reading, this book was a huge success in our classroom.  My students were enthralled.

“That’s the most exciting discussion we’ve ever had!” one student beamed on her way to lunch.

We read it over the course of three days, taking the time to develop new vocabulary (Germany, France, World War II, Holocaust, Jewish, Nazi), and stopping to infer what characters were feeling throughout the book.   Students even identified that the butterfly was a metaphor for the Jewish people before reaching the end, when this comparison is fleshed out.  The goal was for students to make text-to-world connections, which they quickly did, tying the story to tales of the underground railroad and slavery.

My favorite moment, however, occurred after reading the author’s note that revealed the book was based on a true story from Polacco’s own family.  The students erupted in applause.  There are few moments more touching in my classroom than when a book affects students so much that they lose their self-consciousness and applaud with such wonder.  So far, it has only happened a couple times.

Patricia Polacco is my favorite author of children’s books because she tackles tough subjects respectfully.  This was not the first of her works that gave me chills of anticipation as I read aloud to my students, leaving me at many points on the verge of tears.  What I like most about her writing is how personal she makes it. Practically every one of her stories relates to her own life and experiences, pulling the reader into incredibly tender, real moments that children and adults alike can appreciate.

I strive to someday do the same in my own writing.

I highly recommend this read aloud if you’re prepared to build prior knowledge and set the tone for maturity ahead of time.

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Aug 05 2012
4 Comments
Writing

You Like Me, I’ll Like You Back!

Shameless plug time– like me on my writing Facebook page and I’ll return the favor wherever you direct me.  Gearing up to send out my queries in the next couple months, I am reminded of a conversation I had with David Henry Sterry of the Book Doctors.  He underlined the importance of developing a writing platform before contacting agents and a Facebook page was one of his biggest recommendations.  So, if you don’t have one, get one, and I’ll like you too!

Thanks and Happy Sunday.

Sharing is caring! (Pretty please…)

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Jul 28 2012
10 Comments
Writing

Big Girl Writing Advice Needed: The End, Again.

Sitting in the little cramped attic bedroom of our ocean house, watching out over the waves from a slanted window, I’ve finished my book, again.  When I say finished, I mean I have read it all the way through, adding to it here and there, helping it grow by another 8,000 words, better developing characters, trimming superfluous passages, you get the picture.  It now stands proudly at 67,350 words, hopefully enough to be a short novel, (although, with any luck, it might grow some more as I revisit my rewrites to make sure everything flows).

So, here is my big girl writing question– do I need to reread the entire thing again or just all the highlighted sections where I made changes or added words?

I know everyone has different writing styles, but it really helps to hear what others do as I work my way through the completion of my first book, (which is all still new territory for me).  I really want it to be the best work I’m capable of in this moment, but I also dread rereading the whole darn thing again for what would be the fourth time, imagining myself stuck in reshaping and reshaping for eternity.

Advice?

Please and thanks.

No real time for mermaids, or my less-than-stellar drawings of them, until Expecting Happiness is finished.

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May 04 2012
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Writing

Writing: Hope, Focus, Perseverance

Audrey Niffenegger, author of Time Traveler’s Wife, sent out 25 agent queries before landing an agent.

I don’t fancy myself at her level of writing, so I am prepared for the reality that finding a home for my first book may take forever, literally.  While I’m researching agents with similar authors and small publishers accepting manuscripts, I’m also anxious to start writing again.  Writing is the fun part.
My next book already lives inside my head and I’m obsessed.  It’s very different than my first.  Darker, more developed.  This time, I plan to thoroughly brainstorm the characters backgrounds before I begin.  I’m excited to see my writing grow.
Last time, in the heat of 50,000 words in one month, (under Nanowrimo’s tutelage), I knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t stop to plan along the way.  In some ways this was wonderful.  It got me past the first couple of chapters, where I usually get stuck.  It also surprised me as the plot unfolded, allowing me to live in the story like a reader instead of just following an outline.   
I’ve tried to outline write before, it didn’t work for me.  I had fun writing the outline and then lost interest when it was time to write the middle chapters.  
Do you have a writing process that works best for you?  
I enjoy hearing how other people write.  I relate a lot to Audrey Niffenegger.  She wrote Time Traveler’s Wife for herself, for the enjoyment of writing, in her moments between doing other things.  I could not help but note that she’s older than I am.  This gives me hope that I can craft myself into a distinguished writer over time.

Now, all I need is a mantra…

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