Word Imperfect

It's been a little while since I posted and I thought it was time to do a little update. As is expected in your first batch of queries, I have receive many rejections. I won't say how many...but I will say that I'm not at all sad or upset about it. It is part of the process and all of the agents have been super nice. Some have actually offered suggestions on how to fix things. I even received a full request, but was later rejected due to pacing problems. For someone this early in the game, that is amazing. So here is what is up for me...In the coming weeks I will be receiving my MS back from my new editor, the wonderful Tiffany Hofmann aka Khaleesi. I will spend the next few months doing a line by line overhaul on the whole thing. Once that is done, probably around the new year, I will send off my second batch of queries. In November, for the first time, start a fresh MS for NaNoWriMo. This will be something totally new to me. The MS is new adult, amateur sleuth, ...

The last year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs, triumph and self-doubt.  I have screamed and cried and actually vomited from the overwhelming emotions that have come from this journey to publication. Today brought more tears, but this time a whole different kind. After participating in #PitchSlam and not making it to the agent round, I decided to get together my submission package and query agents directly.  So I started looking for editors to help me polish up my query and first 10 pages. With my past experience with freelance editing, I was weary about paying someone to look at my stuff.  Luckily, nearly every editor I found this time offered free sample editing.  After trying out a few, I settled on one that fit my style and needs. For a VERY reasonable fee, she looked over my stuff and VERY quickly sent me back so of the most helpful feedback I've ever received. I have to admit, I was frightened by the amount of notes she had after I'd alre...

So my latest report was not what I expected.  Along with some notes, it was suggested that perhaps it was time for me to move on from this story.  Write something else, and someday I'll see that this story was either just a learning experience or something I wasn't ready to write at this time. As much as I have valued Taryn's opinion and grown from her recommendations, I cannot do this.  Not yet.  I've spent ten years of my life working on this.  I'm not ready to move on.  I'm not ready to give up and write something else (if even temporarily).  I will always be grateful to Taryn for how she  helped me grow as a writer, but for now, I have to go my own way. So here is the plan: First, (just because I had the voucher and I really really just wanted to hold it) I printed 2 copies of my book through Createspace.  If anyone is looking for print on demand services, I highly recommend them.  Their tools made it super easy and the finishe...

I sent my third draft to Taryn on April 16th.  After a couple big re-writes and a lot of little changes I am really confident with this draft.  It is amazing to see how the story has grown and changed over these three drafts.  My first draft was just barely over 52k and now I'm nearly at 60k.  I have developed characters to a level that I never could have expected.   I've had a few people asking what's next.  Well, that depends.  If Taryn has more notes for me, then I will start to work on my fourth draft.  If Taryn says "Ok you've gotten this as good as it is going to get," then we begin working on my submission materials.  This is writing my query and making sure my first 10 pages sparkle. I'm really excited to have come this far.  I've been working on this for so long that it's hard to believe I'm actually getting there. So for now....we wait....and see what Taryn has to say. 

So last week, I handed over my manuscript to my editor and asked her to tear it apart and tell me what I did wrong.  It's never easy receiving criticism, but this was about as painless as it comes.  My editor is so wonderful.  She has taken an experience that could potentially be so frightening and made it a breeze.  I cannot say it enough.  If you need editing and/or critique services, check out Taryn Albright .  You won't regret it. This is my second Reader Report from Taryn.  The last report prompted some major changes and a lot of work.  What did she have to say this time?  Well, I'm on the right track.  There are a few things that still need work, but the good news is the major changes I made the last go round worked well.  Basically there are things here and there that need to be improved and I need to work on my use of commas and periods, and dialog tags. (Confession: I suck at grammar.)  So at least one more pass is n...

I did it!  I edited/wrote over 50K words in 30 days.  I am mentally exhausted, but I couldn't be more thrilled.  I have two weeks until this draft is due at the editor, and it's done.  I can honestly say that I am happy with ever change I made. Over the last couple weeks I've been really tempted to make some changes that, in the end didn't make a lot of sense.  Thank goodness for some awesome advice and some support from my friends and family. After sitting on it for a few days I may decide to rework the ending...I am happy with it right now, but someone recently told me that your brain can only make so many good choices in a day, so maybe I won't like it after I sleep on it. Heck...maybe Taryn will be able to take it early and the decision will be out of my hands all totally. So...here it is...25 minutes until midnight on November 30th and this is my final word count. Thank you all for your continued support.  I'll keep you update...

So I've seen a lot of lists like this and most of them are pretty accurate, but there are a few good ones they seem to miss. 1.  You have actually fallen asleep at the keyboard. 2.  You attend tailgate parties long enough to grab food and say hello. 3.  The first question friends and family ask when they see you is "Have you gotten your chapter count for today?" 4.  The family has come to accept the "writing nest" you've set up in that one spot on the sofa. 5.  90% of your social media posts are #NaNoWriMo or asking for plot/name/word advice. All of my friends and family have been extremely supportive over the last 15 days.  As NaNo reached the half way mark my word count passed 30k. Today's word count Tomorrow I'll be writing a brand new chapter 28...including that I've got 5 chapters left to edit and 3 new ones to write.  NaNoWriMo "winning" starts on the 20th.  Think I can write/edit 8 chapters in 5 days and finish ear...

Ok, so the cover was bothering me.  It was VERY Twilight.  If you like Twilight, more power to you, but my book is nothing like Twilight, so to have that connection made would be a mistake.  So, I did a little work and came up with this. I really think this conveys Fantasy more than the last one, but still feels very pigeon holed to me.  I'd really love to be able to shoot a cover...and have control of every aspect right from the start.  NaNoWriMo's twitter account challenged everyone to make a post-it note sketch of our covers.  I came up with this.  Warning: I'm a writer, not an artist.  We can't all be Christopher Paolini and do both. :)  Anyway...It's not like the cover matters, because I'm not finished with the second draft yet.  Covers can come later.  First things first, editing. So once again, I find myself a NaNo rebel but I'm finding my form of rebellion is common AND people have figured out a form...

So my editing has definitely not gone as quickly as I wanted it to, so I've come up with a plan.  Last year NaNoWriMo was the kick in the butt I needed to get the first draft finished...so I figure it'll do the same for my second draft. For those who don't know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.  The idea is for thousands up people to sign up and help encourage each other to complete 50K words in 30 days.  Last year I didn't make it to 50, but I did manage 29K and it was the push I needed to finish. So, my plan this year.  I am edited up to chapter eight.  Starting November 1st I will edit (or write) one chapter a day.  This will edit the remaining 25 chapters and 5 new ones to replace chapters I cut. I need all of the encouragement I can get on this.  For the month of November if you see me online or out somewhere, ask me if I've finished my chapter for the day.  If I haven't, tell me to go do it, then ignore me.  I w...

Tonight I finished the first read through of my book with Taryn's notes. I did things a little differently than I'd planned too.  So here is my method.  I printed my manuscript in hard copy and placed it in a three ring binder.   I then went through and read it.  As I went I crossed out parts that needed to be cut, wrote notes about things that needed to be change, and marked areas where new scenes and chapters should be added. All told I cut about 7 chapters and nearly a dozen paragraphs from chapters I kept.  It was hard.  It was REALLY REALLY hard.  My hands literally shook when I cut my first full page.  I was sick to my stomach when I had to cut an entire chapter.  The words, these lines, these pages are my work.  I poured my heart and soul into them.  Crossing them out was the hardest thing I've done as a writer so far. My first cut chapter. Then way, you may ask, did I cut them?  Because it had to ...

Today began full on revision mode.  My wonderful editor, Taryn, recommended I do a slimmed down version of a shrunken manuscript.  In a normal shrunken manuscript you would resize your whole manuscript to fit on approximately 30 printed pages, then mark up the passages with a color coded key.  Each color representing a different aspect of your storyline.  This shows you where there arch of your story is going and the over all strength and weaknesses of the manuscript. This is what a normal shrunken manuscript ends up looking like.  The way Taryn recommend I do it, is to condense each scene into one sentence and put that on a post  it.  I printed out my manuscript. Two typed pages per printed page. This thing is still huge. I decided to keep the color coding idea.  So I am going through my manuscript and making the scenes in their colors. (Green = setting/world, Purple/pink = character development of main character,  Orange = bui...

So here we are, 12 days since I sent my MS to free-lance editor Taryn Albright .  For the last week I have been quietly worrying what I would receive back in my Reader Report.  After all this time of working I was so afraid that it had all been for nothing.  I was worried that she would come back and say "there is nothing worth keeping here, you need to start over or abandon this story all together." That, however, did not happen. What did happen, is that I received an email that told me she understood how scary this could be and that she wanted me to know that she enjoyed my MS and thought I was going places.  Then she told me to calm myself and settle in with some chocolate and/or wine before reading the report. This is my report.   Yes, that is a six page report.  Yes, I printed it and highlighted parts.  I laid out 12 points she made that need work. I cannot say enough about how amazing my experience with Taryn has been.  Sh...

So I was supposed to send my manuscript to the editor April 11th.  Today I received a surprise email, she had finished a project and could take my MS early. Yep, I totally freaked out.  You can ask my co-workers.  "Is my face red?  I feel like my face is red.  Oh god, I'm not supposed to be this scared am I?  That can't be normal.  Oh god." I was so excited, so scared, so nervous, all at once.  It is amazing that one person can feel some many emotions together.  I don't know anything to compare it to. So, I came home, gave it a once over, made sure the format was correct to Taryn's specifications, and then I did the scariest thing I've done in my writing career.  I sent my MS, my 10 year journey, my 4 month old baby, to an almost complete stranger. Taryn said she should be done by this weekend, but life happens so it may be longer.  Until then I am supposed to stay occupied.  Shouldn't be hard as I have a stac...

So writing the book was a huge step, but the next step has to happen if anything is to come of it.  In my case, the first step is both exciting and frightening.  That step is letting someone who is neither friend, nor family (thought sort of a friend and I see her becoming more so) read and give input on my baby. For over 10 years this story has lived inside me.  It is part of me.  It is a huge chunk of my life to this point.  To allow someone who knows so little about me to see it, examine it, and critique makes me feel extremely vulnerable.  At the same time this is an opportunity for some truth.  Up to now I have had no way of knowing if the opinions I'm getting are truth or lip service.  Do they like my work, or do they just love my so much they think they do? So...here goes.  April 11th Stone of Virtue: Book One in the Fairies of Erdavol will be in the hands of Freelance Edito r Taryn Albright and her famous green pen.  S...