The children started back to school today, but I still have another week of break. So after taking them to school, I returned to a quiet house and a purring cat. I pulled out my novel and read chapter one. It's been awhile since I've tinkered with it, and I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the words. I knew that I wanted to make some revisions, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to add. So over the break I decided to rewrite the entire prose in first person (it's currently in third) just to see what would happen. By lunch time I finished the first chapter and I'm amazed with how different it reads. I didn't think I'd like it, but I do! Henry is stronger and I'm able to communicate more by writing from inside his head. I planned to blog first thing this morning, but I was having too much fun to stop. I want to finish the first few chapters before my next critique group meeting on the 16th. I can't wait to see what they think!
Mark Twain said it best when he stated, "I am hard at work...merely for the love of it."
Monday, January 4, 2010
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
My New Year's Gift to You
2009 has been an incredible year, hasn't it? One of the most valuable lessons I've learned this past year is that I still have a great deal more to learn. So after working on some new material this afternoon, I spent some time researching some of my favorite author's web sites in search of words of wisdom. One of the greatest gifts that writers give to one another is the gift of encouragement. It is my hope that all of you will be encouraged and inspired through those who have gone before us. God bless you and Happy New Year!
Kate DiCamillo
"Writing is about seeing. I can not control whether or not I am talented, but I can pay attention. I can make an effort to see."
Beverly Cleary
"I don't believe in outlining works of fiction because if you have it all worked out, it becomes boring. I love to cross things out and cut a page down to one paragraph."
Stephanie Meyer
Taken from an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Now that Twilight is a huge success, it's hard to imagine any literary agent rejecting it. But Stephanie says she'd submitted it to plenty of people before she was signed. "I got nine rejections, five no answers and then one 'I'd like to read more.'" (www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091113-tows-stephanie-meyer-twilight/4)
J.K. Rowling
"I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."
"I have to write the story I want to write. I never wrote them with a focus group of 8-year-olds in mind. I have to continue telling the story the way I want to tell it."
"I write what amuses me. It's totally for myself. I never in my wildest dreams expected this popularity. There's no formula."
"I didn't write with a target audience in mind. What excited me was how much I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children - children's books chose me. I think if it's a good book anyone will read it."
"I've been writing since I was six. It is a compulsion, so I can't really say where the desire came from. I've always had it. My breakthrough with the first book came through persistence, because a lot of publishers turned it down."
"You have to resign yourself to the fact that you waste a lot of trees before you write anything you really like, and that's just the way it is. It's like learning an instrument, you've got to be prepared for hitting wrong notes occasionally, or quiet a lot, cause I wrote an awful lot before I wrote anything I was really happy with. And read a lot. Reading really helps. Read anything you can get your hands on."
"When I went into this, my agent said to me,"I don't want you going away from this meeting thinking you're going to make a fortune." Then I said to him, "I know I'm not going to make any money out of it. I know I'm not going to be famous."
Richard Peck
"I read because one life is not enough."
"For inspiration, I now travel about sixty thousand miles a year on the trail of the young. Now, I never start a novel until some young reader, somewhere, gives me the necessary nudge."
"What started me on a career as a writer? A mother who read to me before I could read, and teachers who never put a grade on a rough draft."
E.B. White
"A writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull."
"There is no trick to it. If you like to write and want to write, you write, no matter where you are or what else you are doing or whether anyone pays any heed."
"A writer should concern himself with whatever absorbs his fancy, stirs his heart, and unlimbers his typewriter. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life."
"It is my belief that no writer can improve his work until he discards the notion that the reader is feebleminded, for writing is an act of faith, not of grammar."
"Writing is, for most, laborious and slow. The mind travels faster than the pen; consequently, writing becomes a question of learning to make occasional wing shots, bringing down the bird of thought as it flashes by. A writer is a gunner, sometimes waiting in his blind for something to come in, sometimes roaming the countryside hoping to scare something up. Like other gunners, he must cultivate patience; he may have to work many covers to bring down one partridge."
Laurie Halse Anderson
Taken from her website, http://www.writerlady.com/
"For years Laurie considered writing as a hobby. It eventually dawned on her that people would pay her to write so she became a freelance reporter. She also began to write all types of books and accumulated several inches of rejection letters: hundreds of form rejections that were both intimidating and discouraging. She joined SCBWI and found a supportive critique group. That made all the difference."
Mark Twain
"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you want to say."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug."
"To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself...Anybody can have ideas - the difficulty is to express them without squandering the paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one paragraph."
Words to inspire us in 2010! Happy New Year and Happy Writing!
Kate DiCamillo
"Writing is about seeing. I can not control whether or not I am talented, but I can pay attention. I can make an effort to see."
Beverly Cleary
"I don't believe in outlining works of fiction because if you have it all worked out, it becomes boring. I love to cross things out and cut a page down to one paragraph."
Stephanie Meyer
Taken from an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Now that Twilight is a huge success, it's hard to imagine any literary agent rejecting it. But Stephanie says she'd submitted it to plenty of people before she was signed. "I got nine rejections, five no answers and then one 'I'd like to read more.'" (www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20091113-tows-stephanie-meyer-twilight/4)
J.K. Rowling
"I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."
"I have to write the story I want to write. I never wrote them with a focus group of 8-year-olds in mind. I have to continue telling the story the way I want to tell it."
"I write what amuses me. It's totally for myself. I never in my wildest dreams expected this popularity. There's no formula."
"I didn't write with a target audience in mind. What excited me was how much I would enjoy writing about Harry. I never thought about writing for children - children's books chose me. I think if it's a good book anyone will read it."
"I've been writing since I was six. It is a compulsion, so I can't really say where the desire came from. I've always had it. My breakthrough with the first book came through persistence, because a lot of publishers turned it down."
"You have to resign yourself to the fact that you waste a lot of trees before you write anything you really like, and that's just the way it is. It's like learning an instrument, you've got to be prepared for hitting wrong notes occasionally, or quiet a lot, cause I wrote an awful lot before I wrote anything I was really happy with. And read a lot. Reading really helps. Read anything you can get your hands on."
"When I went into this, my agent said to me,"I don't want you going away from this meeting thinking you're going to make a fortune." Then I said to him, "I know I'm not going to make any money out of it. I know I'm not going to be famous."
Richard Peck
"I read because one life is not enough."
"For inspiration, I now travel about sixty thousand miles a year on the trail of the young. Now, I never start a novel until some young reader, somewhere, gives me the necessary nudge."
"What started me on a career as a writer? A mother who read to me before I could read, and teachers who never put a grade on a rough draft."
E.B. White
"A writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull."
"There is no trick to it. If you like to write and want to write, you write, no matter where you are or what else you are doing or whether anyone pays any heed."
"A writer should concern himself with whatever absorbs his fancy, stirs his heart, and unlimbers his typewriter. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life."
"It is my belief that no writer can improve his work until he discards the notion that the reader is feebleminded, for writing is an act of faith, not of grammar."
"Writing is, for most, laborious and slow. The mind travels faster than the pen; consequently, writing becomes a question of learning to make occasional wing shots, bringing down the bird of thought as it flashes by. A writer is a gunner, sometimes waiting in his blind for something to come in, sometimes roaming the countryside hoping to scare something up. Like other gunners, he must cultivate patience; he may have to work many covers to bring down one partridge."
Laurie Halse Anderson
Taken from her website, http://www.writerlady.com/
"For years Laurie considered writing as a hobby. It eventually dawned on her that people would pay her to write so she became a freelance reporter. She also began to write all types of books and accumulated several inches of rejection letters: hundreds of form rejections that were both intimidating and discouraging. She joined SCBWI and found a supportive critique group. That made all the difference."
Mark Twain
"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you want to say."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug."
"To get the right word in the right place is a rare achievement. To condense the diffused light of a page of thought into the luminous flash of a single sentence is worthy to rank as a prize composition just by itself...Anybody can have ideas - the difficulty is to express them without squandering the paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one paragraph."
Words to inspire us in 2010! Happy New Year and Happy Writing!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
I'm Tagged!
I love the feeling of living outside the pressure cooker. I've enjoyed the quiet all weekend. Last night's sunset was perfect, did you see it? I curled up with my January/February edition of Victoria Magazine and a cup of tea. The children were playing in the living room, Shannon was tinkering with something in the garage, all the while I sat in my recliner with my magazine, my tea, and my cat. No more classes, no more shopping, and no more chaos. My mind was free to dream again. It's been awhile since I've experienced that freedom and I savored every second. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. We enjoyed ours immensely. The children slept until seven this year which was an unexpected treat. We thought they'd be up at 5:30a.m. like they did Christmas Eve. But that extra hour and a half gave us the extra boost we needed to enjoy watching them tear into their presents. It was such a memorable day.
Right before Christmas, picture book author, Shelley Moore Thomas and fellow blogger/writer Bethany Mattingly both tagged me. Please forgive me for taking so long to post this! But I promise I'm enjoying your questions a whole lot more in the peace and quiet.
1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
The last time I sat at my computer, I wrote my Rhetorical Studies critical analysis paper on how popular culture affects historical accuracies. The first thing that I wrote was an entry in my diary. I was seven years old, and I still have that diary.
2) Do you write poetry?
Yes, on occasion. However, after enduring a poetry class at Hollins I'm not as comfortable as I used to be. I'm more of a straight shooter, and that is unpopular in a room full of moody eighteen year olds.
3) Do you write Angsty poetry?
No, not really. I'd rather yell at somebody and then write something nice.
4) What is your favorite genre of writing?
Good question. I love children's books but I'm still trying to figure out where I fit.
5) Who is the most annoying character you've ever created?
I wrote a short story titled, Wild Magnolias. Treena is a redneck gold-digger with whom I had a lot of fun.
6) Best plot you've ever created?
Hmmm. Maybe Wild Magnolias is on the brain, but I had fun with that story. It is about an elderly woman named Beatrice, and her beloved grand-daughter, Callie. They out-wit some redneck relatives who try to place Beatrice in assisted living. When the rednecks attempt to swindle her out of her money, Callie moves her grandmother on a cruise ship. There is a little romance sprinkled in the story too.
7) Coolest plot twist I've ever created?
I'm still waiting on that one!
8) Do you type or write by hand?
Both. One of my favorite inspiration spots is in the surf. I can't use my laptop while I'm sitting in my beach chair, but I do write in my journal. I love fufu journals. I buy the prettiest ones I can find. The more fufu the journal - the better the writing ideas.
9) Do you save everything you write?
Lord no. Whether we like it or not, our words are our legacy. I don't know about ya'll but there are a lot of words that I wouldn't want anyone to read. After I fill up a journal, I burn it. Unless it's one of my idea journals. I do save those.
10) How often do I get writers block?
That depends on how you define writers block. I write every day in my journal, but I don't work on my stories every day. I have to have it in my head before I'm able to write so I spend a great deal of time thinking.
11) Do you write fan fiction?
No.
12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?
Sure. I'm never short of ideas. There are stories everywhere.
13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
My novel, Attack at Fleetwood Hill. I still have some more tweaking to do, but I love this story. I've had a blast writing it.
14) What is everyone else's favorite thing you've written?
I suppose that depends on the audience. I wrote a silly poem about memories that my cousins and I made with our grandmother. That was fun. I've written sentimental essays for weddings and funerals too. And if everything goes right, my essay A Family Affair will be included in Chicken Soup for the Soul's NASCAR edition in a couple of months. I've been told that I can celebrate after I get the book in my hands, so I'm trying not to get too excited...yet.
15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
Yes, and it's in the back of the file cabinet. Maybe I'll get back to it one day.
16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?
Somewhere that means something to me. If it left an impression on me, then chances are good that it will find its way into one of my stories.
17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Ha! That's the question of the year, isn't it? I have two that I'm toying with...other than my novel.
18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Yes, I won the Creative Talent Award at Hollins University in 2008. I also won the Roanoke Branch of American Pen Women's writing scholarship for the past two years, and I won the Smyth-Bland Regional Library Sherwood Anderson Short Story Contest last year for my story, Wild Magnolias.
19) What are your five favorite words?
snickerdoodle, (because it's fun to say), freedom (because it evokes so many emotions), sassafras, (I don't know why...it's just fun), eternity, (I picture my spot on the beach), swannee, (all my family members have said it for years...it's a southern thing.)
20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?
Elizabeth Burgess in Attack at Fleetwood Hill.
21) Where do you get your ideas for characters?
People that I've met through the years. I've always thought that reality makes for the best fiction.
22) Do you favor happy endings?
I need a satisfying ending, but it doesn't necessarily have to be happy. Life isn't always happy, but it can be satisfying. Take the movie Titanic, for instance. I was really sad that Jack died in the end, but the reunion scene on the bottom of the ocean provided a sense of closure.
23) Do you ever write based on your dreams?
No, not really. My dreams are too bizarre!
24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar when you write?
No. That's for my critique group. I'll clean it up as best as I can before I let my group read it, but I don't obsess over it.
25) Does music help you write?
If I hear it while I'm not writing! I can't write to music. Every thing has to be quiet. But if I hear a song on the radio that fits my story, it helps me visualize events in my head. For example, Jamie Johnson's In Color is the theme song for Attack at Fleetwood Hill. When I first heard it I cried.
26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.
This is a poem that I wrote for my poetry class at Hollins.
Shoes
Aligned against the closet wall,
Boxes covered in cat hair and dust bunnies;
Some ragged and tried, others new with tags but trapped in time.
Heels and sling backs in flirtatious skirts
Energize my feet when I walk
And play peek a boo in the fabric when I sit.
Boots encrusted in crackled red clay
Leave a trail of scattered specks on my floor.
Peppered in dry grass and shriveled clover,
They reek of gasoline and sweat.
Sneakers painted in Dora the Explorer
And Sponge Bob, fit in the palm of my hand.
The impotent Velcro is stained in raspberry Kool-aid
And grape Hubba Bubba sticks to the sole.
The pink and silver Nikes lay by the door.
The once clean inlay now greys with grime and dirt.
A perfect impression of my once petite and pedicured foot,
Comfortably lay on its side.
A symbol of who we are,
A history of where we've been
An ornament for our feet
An accessory for our lives.
Right before Christmas, picture book author, Shelley Moore Thomas and fellow blogger/writer Bethany Mattingly both tagged me. Please forgive me for taking so long to post this! But I promise I'm enjoying your questions a whole lot more in the peace and quiet.
1) What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
The last time I sat at my computer, I wrote my Rhetorical Studies critical analysis paper on how popular culture affects historical accuracies. The first thing that I wrote was an entry in my diary. I was seven years old, and I still have that diary.
2) Do you write poetry?
Yes, on occasion. However, after enduring a poetry class at Hollins I'm not as comfortable as I used to be. I'm more of a straight shooter, and that is unpopular in a room full of moody eighteen year olds.
3) Do you write Angsty poetry?
No, not really. I'd rather yell at somebody and then write something nice.
4) What is your favorite genre of writing?
Good question. I love children's books but I'm still trying to figure out where I fit.
5) Who is the most annoying character you've ever created?
I wrote a short story titled, Wild Magnolias. Treena is a redneck gold-digger with whom I had a lot of fun.
6) Best plot you've ever created?
Hmmm. Maybe Wild Magnolias is on the brain, but I had fun with that story. It is about an elderly woman named Beatrice, and her beloved grand-daughter, Callie. They out-wit some redneck relatives who try to place Beatrice in assisted living. When the rednecks attempt to swindle her out of her money, Callie moves her grandmother on a cruise ship. There is a little romance sprinkled in the story too.
7) Coolest plot twist I've ever created?
I'm still waiting on that one!
8) Do you type or write by hand?
Both. One of my favorite inspiration spots is in the surf. I can't use my laptop while I'm sitting in my beach chair, but I do write in my journal. I love fufu journals. I buy the prettiest ones I can find. The more fufu the journal - the better the writing ideas.
9) Do you save everything you write?
Lord no. Whether we like it or not, our words are our legacy. I don't know about ya'll but there are a lot of words that I wouldn't want anyone to read. After I fill up a journal, I burn it. Unless it's one of my idea journals. I do save those.
10) How often do I get writers block?
That depends on how you define writers block. I write every day in my journal, but I don't work on my stories every day. I have to have it in my head before I'm able to write so I spend a great deal of time thinking.
11) Do you write fan fiction?
No.
12) Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?
Sure. I'm never short of ideas. There are stories everywhere.
13) What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
My novel, Attack at Fleetwood Hill. I still have some more tweaking to do, but I love this story. I've had a blast writing it.
14) What is everyone else's favorite thing you've written?
I suppose that depends on the audience. I wrote a silly poem about memories that my cousins and I made with our grandmother. That was fun. I've written sentimental essays for weddings and funerals too. And if everything goes right, my essay A Family Affair will be included in Chicken Soup for the Soul's NASCAR edition in a couple of months. I've been told that I can celebrate after I get the book in my hands, so I'm trying not to get too excited...yet.
15) Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
Yes, and it's in the back of the file cabinet. Maybe I'll get back to it one day.
16) What's your favorite setting for your characters?
Somewhere that means something to me. If it left an impression on me, then chances are good that it will find its way into one of my stories.
17) How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Ha! That's the question of the year, isn't it? I have two that I'm toying with...other than my novel.
18) Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Yes, I won the Creative Talent Award at Hollins University in 2008. I also won the Roanoke Branch of American Pen Women's writing scholarship for the past two years, and I won the Smyth-Bland Regional Library Sherwood Anderson Short Story Contest last year for my story, Wild Magnolias.
19) What are your five favorite words?
snickerdoodle, (because it's fun to say), freedom (because it evokes so many emotions), sassafras, (I don't know why...it's just fun), eternity, (I picture my spot on the beach), swannee, (all my family members have said it for years...it's a southern thing.)
20) What character have you created that is most like yourself?
Elizabeth Burgess in Attack at Fleetwood Hill.
21) Where do you get your ideas for characters?
People that I've met through the years. I've always thought that reality makes for the best fiction.
22) Do you favor happy endings?
I need a satisfying ending, but it doesn't necessarily have to be happy. Life isn't always happy, but it can be satisfying. Take the movie Titanic, for instance. I was really sad that Jack died in the end, but the reunion scene on the bottom of the ocean provided a sense of closure.
23) Do you ever write based on your dreams?
No, not really. My dreams are too bizarre!
24) Are you concerned with spelling and grammar when you write?
No. That's for my critique group. I'll clean it up as best as I can before I let my group read it, but I don't obsess over it.
25) Does music help you write?
If I hear it while I'm not writing! I can't write to music. Every thing has to be quiet. But if I hear a song on the radio that fits my story, it helps me visualize events in my head. For example, Jamie Johnson's In Color is the theme song for Attack at Fleetwood Hill. When I first heard it I cried.
26) Quote something you've written. Whatever pops in your head.
This is a poem that I wrote for my poetry class at Hollins.
Shoes
Aligned against the closet wall,
Boxes covered in cat hair and dust bunnies;
Some ragged and tried, others new with tags but trapped in time.
Heels and sling backs in flirtatious skirts
Energize my feet when I walk
And play peek a boo in the fabric when I sit.
Boots encrusted in crackled red clay
Leave a trail of scattered specks on my floor.
Peppered in dry grass and shriveled clover,
They reek of gasoline and sweat.
Sneakers painted in Dora the Explorer
And Sponge Bob, fit in the palm of my hand.
The impotent Velcro is stained in raspberry Kool-aid
And grape Hubba Bubba sticks to the sole.
The pink and silver Nikes lay by the door.
The once clean inlay now greys with grime and dirt.
A perfect impression of my once petite and pedicured foot,
Comfortably lay on its side.
A symbol of who we are,
A history of where we've been
An ornament for our feet
An accessory for our lives.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Tree Blooper
With three days until Christmas I threw out my tree! Yesterday Caroline climbed into my bed at 7a.m to inform me that we had even more bugs. After investigating the window and upon discovering hundreds of black critters, I threw in the towel. It took us all day to undecorate it, drag it out to the back porch, and then clean up the mess. I kid you not, it took us two and a half hours just to pick all of the needles out of the carpet. It clogged my vacuum cleaner, so we used the shop vac and our bare hands. I have tiny red scratches all over the tips of my fingers, but I have never been so happy with my artificial tree! It has a perfect shape, it smells nice, it's bug free, and there are no needles! Now I'm off to decorate Christmas cookies with the kids. By the way, I found out today that I got an A in Spanish and an A in my Rhetorical Studies class....whooooooo! Not even a bug infested Christmas tree could steal my joy!
Merry Christmas blogger buddies!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Snow Storm, and Chuck Sambuchino's Web Seminar
All of Roanoke is buzzing with excitement. I just returned from running my errands and the city is electrified. We're expecting over 14 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. The last time we had a storm like this was in 1996. It was two months before my wedding, and my sisters and I were in charge of keeping the house and my father's bookstore. My parents took a trip to Israel, and while they swam in the Dead Sea, we managed to get both trucks stuck in the snow. We couldn't open the store for five days! Shannon just called me from work, and even the Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is stationed downtown! I should ask him to autograph my sled.
It feels wonderful not to worry about Spanish. The exam was awful. It was ten pages long - all fill in the blank. Needless to say, I left school very grouchy last night. I even dreamed that everyone spoke Spanish at my family's Christmas dinner. Ugh! No me gusta Espanol! Prior to taking the exam, I enjoyed Chuck Sambuchino's web seminar on finding a literary agent. The man is a walking encyclopedia and I've never heard anyone who talks as fast as he does. I took five pages of notes. After a few technical glitches in the beginning, I felt like I was back in NYC at a conference. The seminar was very informative and I would definitely be interested in doing another. I've summarized my notes below:
When is a manuscript ready for submission?
- When you think it's spotless/free of mistakes
- After you're critique group says it's ready
- After you've set it aside for a while and then gone back over it.
The best place to locate an agent is through publishers marketplace. The site is updated daily and you can research what types of material an agent has most recently sold. The only downside to this service is the $20 per month fee, but on the upside you can cancel your subscription at any time. Chuck also mentioned the Guide to Literary Agents market guide which is also available online at writersmarket.com.
When searching for an agent, rank your pick of agents and query no more than five to seven at a time. But don't query your top five all at the same time. You want to allow yourself enough time to accumulate feedback on your manuscript, so if you discover a problem you can fix it before you blow your chance with one of your top five agents. Chuck says that querying five to seven agents at a time is the norm, and if you're querying more than twenty, you're querying too much. Simultaneous submissions is recommended and is also the norm. However, multiple submissions is a no no. Multiple submissions is defined as submitting more than one book to an agent at a time.
Someone asked about hiring an editor. Chuck stated that if you're involved with a good critique group, then you don't need to hire anyone. However, if you still want a book doctor then expect to pay anywhere from $1.50 - $5.00 per page. Also, if you're submitting a novel then never ever submit over 100,000 words. Anything over that amount is considered an epic novel.
How much do writers get paid for a first book? First time authors get paid anywhere from a flat fee of $3000 to $50,000. If royalties are offered then the publisher sets the amount that the author gets paid based upon the sale per book.
What is the best way to find an agent? Agents are found at writer's conferences, by referrals, through contest judging, literary journals and through query submissions.
Queries should be no more than one page in length. It should explain who you are, what the book is about, and a paragraph asking if the agent would be interested in reading more.
Chuck mentioned that every writer should have five versions of their manuscript on hand.
- Byline - One sentence that encapsulates your story.
- Short synopsis - a one page double-spaced summary of your book.
- Long synopsis - no more than five double-spaced pages of your book.
- Pitch - This goes in your query letter and should read like the back of a DVD cover or flap copy of a book.
An Author Bio - I thought this part was very interesting. Chuck stated that unless you hold an MFA, then don't mention your college degrees, because anything short of a MFA won't impress an agent or editor. (So much for stressing over Spanish class, right?) Do not mention your family or how many children you have either. If you have been paid to write then mention those credits, and also any writing awards that you've received. Anything else is unnecessary and screams amateur.
How do I find agents who represent my work? Read books that are in your same genre and look through the acknowlegement section. Also check author websites. If all else fails, then call the editor. (He mentions that getting in touch with them is next to impossible.)
One last interesting tid bit. If an agency has a strong online presence, and/or appears regularly at conferences then they are actively seeking clients. Any agency that is difficult to research is more than likely not accepting new clients - in other words, don't waste your time trying.
Again, this is only a summary of a hour and half seminar. Mr. Sambuchino's presentation was fantastic. I hope to meet him at a conference one day. It was definitely worth my time and money, and I highly recommend the seminar to other writers. He gave me the road map I was looking for.
As I type this, the snow is falling. I'm finished with exams and it's Christmas time. I'm off to play!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
My Puckering Star of Bethlehem
Yesterday Shannon and I attended Caroline's Kindergarten Christmas play. While her teacher read from Cynthia Cotten's This is the Stable, the children acted out the parts - it was priceless. I don't know why Caroline felt the need to pucker. Perhaps she felt that Baby Jesus needed kisses. Shannon had the hardest time holding the camcorder steady as he filmed the performance. Tonight is Ben's Christmas program and the children's last day of school is tomorrow. I told our school principal that they need to have a lock in for grades K-5 for 24 hours. My children aren't sleeping anyway. They're beyond excited. Just think of all the things that parents could finish in 24 hours!
In the midst of all the Christmas cheer and final exams, my order for 100 Green Arboritvae Trees arrived. After Caroline's program, we planted 55 of them near our driveway. We wrapped the rest in damp paper towels and hope that they'll be all right until the weekend. I haven't had any time to work on my novel, but I am eagerly awaiting Chuck Sambuchino's seminar this Thursday on finding the right literary agent. I promise I'll post more about that as well as catch up on all of your blogs. Until then...I'm off to cram for my Spanish final and water some trees!
BTW...Shannon caught poison ivy from our problematic Christmas tree, lol!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Help! We have Bugs!
Our bug infested angel
At least it's remained upright for the past 72 hours.
Bethany, author of the Aspirations blog gave me this wonderful award this week! Thank you Miss Bethany, I am so honored! Bethany is a college student and a die-hard agricultural lover and I wish she was here to advise me about my infested Christmas tree! Yes, that's right, my tree has BUGS!!!!! I was putting the finishing touches on our tree when I discovered tiny insects crawling all over my new Walmart angel. They look like tiny gnats. AND I discovered tiny red bugs crawling in her hair. I don't think they are chiggers, but they look more like the red bugs that you see crawling over concrete or brick in the summer time. Do you think they were hibernating? Maybe I caused them to hatch when I brought them inside? Whatever they are, they are not welcome in my living room!
I'm beginning to think that I should go back to our artificial tree. We bought the real tree for the sentiment of the season, hoping to spread the fragrance of Christmas throughout the house. But ya know, I could get the same effect by lighting a scented candle!
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