"But that ain't the way.../I can't move on and I can't stay the same/ And all my friends say.../ Hey, turn the record over/ Hey, I'll see you on the flip side/ There you go, turn the key and engine over." - "45" by The Gaslight Anthem
These lyrics are part of The Gaslight Anthem's new single "45", off of their album "Handwritten", which will be released on July 24. As soon as I heard this song, the words spoke to me, just like every song in Brian Fallon's catalogue does in one way or another. I'm telling you, this guy is a poetic rock and roll genius. So, what exactly hit me with this song? It was the phrase "I can't move and I can't stay the same". Allow me to explain.
I have been trying to get a literary agent off and on for a long time now. "Off and on" being the key words there. I can't be lazy about this anymore. I can't continue doing the same thing, where I query a couple of agents, get depressed if the news isn't good, and then not query anyone else for months and months. I will never get anywhere with that approach. But I can't move on either. I know a lot of people would give up after not getting a bite the first couple (dozen) times they throw out the line, but I believe in my "Willow Ryan" series and in my abilities as a writer too much to stop without achieving success. I am supposed to be doing this. Writing is a gift that God gave me, and I am determined not to waste it. So now that "I can't move on and I can't stay the same", what will I do?
I have revised and streamlined by query, and am compiling my next list of agents to contact. I will send out emails and snail mail queries, and I will wait. While I'm anxiously waiting for a positive reply (I had to consciously try not to roll my eyes as I typed that), I will do what a writer is supposed to do - I will write. Who We Thought We Were is going nowhere fast and I have to get back into the swing of things with that novel. I will also work on some articles I have rough drafts of and some poems I have been working on, so I will have plenty of productive projects to keep me busy and focused. And if I don't get anywhere with these next queries, I will turn right around and send out letters to the next several agents on my list. I am going to make this happen.
Showing posts with label literary agents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literary agents. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Always Waiting
"We were always waiting, always waiting/ We were always waiting for something to happen!" - "Great Expectations" by The Gaslight Anthem
This weekend I was busy, once again, making my list of agents to send queries to for my first "Willow Ryan" novel, Secrets. I'm ready. More ready than I have ever been, and I'm almost afraid to say this because it has a hint of optimism to it, but I kind of have a good feeling about this round. I have a solid list of a couple of dozen agents who I think may be a good fit for me and my work, and I will be sending out letters to the top six or seven tomorrow. Then I play the waiting game again. I am not good at waiting.
But instead of agonizing and obsessing over these queries like I normally do, wondering if the agent has read my carefully chosen words about the book that I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into, whether I will receive a request, a rejection, or any response at all, I will put myself to work instead. In addition to Who We Thought We Were, my latest work in progress, I am also going to fine-tune some articles I wrote a while back on child development and start submitting those. I am going to make my career happen. I am a writer, and if I have anything to say about it, soon I will be a published writer. :) Now to get some good responses from the agents...
Man, I hate waiting.
This weekend I was busy, once again, making my list of agents to send queries to for my first "Willow Ryan" novel, Secrets. I'm ready. More ready than I have ever been, and I'm almost afraid to say this because it has a hint of optimism to it, but I kind of have a good feeling about this round. I have a solid list of a couple of dozen agents who I think may be a good fit for me and my work, and I will be sending out letters to the top six or seven tomorrow. Then I play the waiting game again. I am not good at waiting.
But instead of agonizing and obsessing over these queries like I normally do, wondering if the agent has read my carefully chosen words about the book that I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into, whether I will receive a request, a rejection, or any response at all, I will put myself to work instead. In addition to Who We Thought We Were, my latest work in progress, I am also going to fine-tune some articles I wrote a while back on child development and start submitting those. I am going to make my career happen. I am a writer, and if I have anything to say about it, soon I will be a published writer. :) Now to get some good responses from the agents...
Man, I hate waiting.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
"Knock me down it's all in vain/ I'll get right back on my feet again/ Hit me with your best shot/ Why don't you hit with your best shot/ Hit me with your best shot/ Fire away!" - Pat Benatar
I'm a little discombobulated this week. Labor Day messed me up, and I went through the entire day yesterday singing "I Don't Like Mondays" in my head (not exactly an appropriate song to be singing to young children, right), and I completely forgot about posting my latest Tuesday's Top Ten. I will wait until next week for that one though, as I have bigger fish to fry today.
After rewriting, tweaking, agonizing over, and finally finishing my latest attempt at the perfect query letter, I emailed it out to a handful of agents this morning. I am now feeling that familiar emotional mix of excitement, dread, and nausea. What prompted me to chose "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" as my song of the day was the two responses I already received back from agents... sigh. One agent who is known for quick replies emailed me in three minutes with a standard, polite form rejection. Three minutes. Seriously?! That was a new record for me. I have been playing this game for a while now and have come to expect rejections, but that was a little hasty. Then I got another one from a different agent, just five minutes after I had hit the send button. Her response was simply, "No, thank you." That left me a little wounded, but I have to take my cues from Pat Benatar and be tough, not back down from this challenge, and rise above the hits that I, like every aspiring author, have to take along the way.
But what I want to know is, when does it stop feeling like you are the clumsy kid that always gets picked last for kickball?
I'm a little discombobulated this week. Labor Day messed me up, and I went through the entire day yesterday singing "I Don't Like Mondays" in my head (not exactly an appropriate song to be singing to young children, right), and I completely forgot about posting my latest Tuesday's Top Ten. I will wait until next week for that one though, as I have bigger fish to fry today.
After rewriting, tweaking, agonizing over, and finally finishing my latest attempt at the perfect query letter, I emailed it out to a handful of agents this morning. I am now feeling that familiar emotional mix of excitement, dread, and nausea. What prompted me to chose "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" as my song of the day was the two responses I already received back from agents... sigh. One agent who is known for quick replies emailed me in three minutes with a standard, polite form rejection. Three minutes. Seriously?! That was a new record for me. I have been playing this game for a while now and have come to expect rejections, but that was a little hasty. Then I got another one from a different agent, just five minutes after I had hit the send button. Her response was simply, "No, thank you." That left me a little wounded, but I have to take my cues from Pat Benatar and be tough, not back down from this challenge, and rise above the hits that I, like every aspiring author, have to take along the way.
But what I want to know is, when does it stop feeling like you are the clumsy kid that always gets picked last for kickball?
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Tuesday's Top Ten - Writing Mistakes
"And bad mistakes/ I've made a few." - "We Are the Champions" by Queen
First of all, I am not posting pictures of Hurricane Irene because we didn't actually get a hurricane! I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in Irene. I was expecting this big storm, equal or greater to Hurricane Isabel from 2003, but alas, it didn't happen (sigh). Okay, enough dramatics. We did get a tropical storm, but no damage and no significant power outages, so all is good.
Now, onto the latest Top Ten list. Today, I will be listing my top ten biggest mistakes I have made in my writing career (or what I hope will one day be a career) - so far. Hey, I'm honest enough to admit that I will always be making mistakes, but I also always learn from them. On that note, here's the list. I would love to hear what all of you have to say about this. What errors have you made along the way? Are mine totally stupid or embarrassingly familiar? Inquiring minds want to know...
1. Thinking this was going to be easy - My biggest flaw has been my own self confidence. Not that I'm full of myself or anything, but when I finished my first Willow Ryan novel, I was sure that I would land my dream agent right away (she requested a partial and ended up passing on it, but I got good feedback), get a publishing contract quickly, and become the next Melody Carlson/Meg Cabot/Robin Jones Gunn. I was so naive...
2. Having a typo on a query letter - This one killed me! I saw after I had emailed a carefully crafted letter to an agent that I had spent hours working on (very early on in the querying process), and I had accidentally typed "on" instead of "in". I will never forget that, and it bothered me to no end. I am positive that is why I never heard back from that agent.
3. Misspelling the agent's name - A huge, colossal, boneheaded mistake, and I made it! It was an unfamiliar name and for the first time in my life, I didn't triple check the salutation, and it came back to bite me. I was so mad at myself because of a stupid mistake that I should have caught, but didn't. I guess OCD was on vacation that day.
4. Taking rejections personally - I know you're not supposed to do this because it's strictly business, but to the writer who has invested so much in his/her work, it's very, very personal. I am trying to let it go, but those rejections still sting a little. Okay, sometimes a lot.
5. Opening with the weather - My first version of Secrets opened with Willow laying in the middle of a field as a thunderstorm approached. I spent so long making sure this scene was perfect, only to find out that this is a huge no-no. In fact, opening with the weather is on the top of tons of agents' pet peeve lists. Upon finding this out, I promptly began editing.
6. Thinking I was done with Secrets two years ago - Since then I have rewritten that novel at least eight times, the first chapter in particular. It is SO much better now than it was back then, and I have learned to never say that I am completely finished. Not until I see my book(s) in Barnes & Noble, that is.
7. Wanting to give up - There have been times over the past two years when I have felt that this will never happen, a publishing career is out of the question for me, and I should just forget about it. That is not a winning attitude, and I absolutely hate to lose, so I got over it. I still have my negative moments (days, weeks), but I will never quit.
8. Similarly named characters - I don't know how I missed this, but it wasn't until my third rewrite of Secrets that I noticed I had a character named Michael (Willow's dad) and another character named Mike (her friend). These characters never intertwined, so maybe that's why I didn't notice, but come on. How stupid is that? I changed Mr. Ryan's name to Patrick. At least that was an easy fix.
9. Song lyrics - This one took me a long time to discover. My first three novels were written with tons of song lyrics included, because Willow always has a song stuck in her head and tends to start singing without warning (autobiographical...). There are a lot of pop culture references in my books (they take place in the 1980s), and I had to do a ton of editing when I discovered that I could not use song lyrics, no matter how much I loved them, without permission. Very expensive permission. So, I worked around it, mentioning artists and song titles, but never exact lyrics, and I didn't lose any of the pop culture charm I originally had. Lesson learned and I'm a better writer for having made the mistake.
10. Checking my mailbox and email constantly - I nearly drove myself crazy looking for responses with my first couple rounds of submissions. Let me tell you, responses, when they do come, usually take forever! Often weeks, if not months, and I am not a patient person. I even got a response over a year after querying an agent. Once they are sent, I have learned to try to forget about them, and if I get a response, I am always surprised.
First of all, I am not posting pictures of Hurricane Irene because we didn't actually get a hurricane! I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in Irene. I was expecting this big storm, equal or greater to Hurricane Isabel from 2003, but alas, it didn't happen (sigh). Okay, enough dramatics. We did get a tropical storm, but no damage and no significant power outages, so all is good.
Now, onto the latest Top Ten list. Today, I will be listing my top ten biggest mistakes I have made in my writing career (or what I hope will one day be a career) - so far. Hey, I'm honest enough to admit that I will always be making mistakes, but I also always learn from them. On that note, here's the list. I would love to hear what all of you have to say about this. What errors have you made along the way? Are mine totally stupid or embarrassingly familiar? Inquiring minds want to know...
1. Thinking this was going to be easy - My biggest flaw has been my own self confidence. Not that I'm full of myself or anything, but when I finished my first Willow Ryan novel, I was sure that I would land my dream agent right away (she requested a partial and ended up passing on it, but I got good feedback), get a publishing contract quickly, and become the next Melody Carlson/Meg Cabot/Robin Jones Gunn. I was so naive...
2. Having a typo on a query letter - This one killed me! I saw after I had emailed a carefully crafted letter to an agent that I had spent hours working on (very early on in the querying process), and I had accidentally typed "on" instead of "in". I will never forget that, and it bothered me to no end. I am positive that is why I never heard back from that agent.
3. Misspelling the agent's name - A huge, colossal, boneheaded mistake, and I made it! It was an unfamiliar name and for the first time in my life, I didn't triple check the salutation, and it came back to bite me. I was so mad at myself because of a stupid mistake that I should have caught, but didn't. I guess OCD was on vacation that day.
4. Taking rejections personally - I know you're not supposed to do this because it's strictly business, but to the writer who has invested so much in his/her work, it's very, very personal. I am trying to let it go, but those rejections still sting a little. Okay, sometimes a lot.
5. Opening with the weather - My first version of Secrets opened with Willow laying in the middle of a field as a thunderstorm approached. I spent so long making sure this scene was perfect, only to find out that this is a huge no-no. In fact, opening with the weather is on the top of tons of agents' pet peeve lists. Upon finding this out, I promptly began editing.
6. Thinking I was done with Secrets two years ago - Since then I have rewritten that novel at least eight times, the first chapter in particular. It is SO much better now than it was back then, and I have learned to never say that I am completely finished. Not until I see my book(s) in Barnes & Noble, that is.
7. Wanting to give up - There have been times over the past two years when I have felt that this will never happen, a publishing career is out of the question for me, and I should just forget about it. That is not a winning attitude, and I absolutely hate to lose, so I got over it. I still have my negative moments (days, weeks), but I will never quit.
8. Similarly named characters - I don't know how I missed this, but it wasn't until my third rewrite of Secrets that I noticed I had a character named Michael (Willow's dad) and another character named Mike (her friend). These characters never intertwined, so maybe that's why I didn't notice, but come on. How stupid is that? I changed Mr. Ryan's name to Patrick. At least that was an easy fix.
9. Song lyrics - This one took me a long time to discover. My first three novels were written with tons of song lyrics included, because Willow always has a song stuck in her head and tends to start singing without warning (autobiographical...). There are a lot of pop culture references in my books (they take place in the 1980s), and I had to do a ton of editing when I discovered that I could not use song lyrics, no matter how much I loved them, without permission. Very expensive permission. So, I worked around it, mentioning artists and song titles, but never exact lyrics, and I didn't lose any of the pop culture charm I originally had. Lesson learned and I'm a better writer for having made the mistake.
10. Checking my mailbox and email constantly - I nearly drove myself crazy looking for responses with my first couple rounds of submissions. Let me tell you, responses, when they do come, usually take forever! Often weeks, if not months, and I am not a patient person. I even got a response over a year after querying an agent. Once they are sent, I have learned to try to forget about them, and if I get a response, I am always surprised.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Some Will Lose
"Some will win, some will lose/ Some were born to sing the blues." - "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey
Sigh... I was not one of the lucky winners of the pitch contest I blogged about a week or so ago. I never really expect to win anything, but for some reason the outcome of this contest was more depressing than most rejections. Just the thought that winning would mean an agent would read and comment on my entire manuscript was so amazing that I let myself get excited about it, but maybe the next contest that comes along will have better results for me.
Or the next query letter. Rejection seems to be the topic of the day, with the contest and another "thanks but no thanks" from an agent. Things have to improve, right? I certainly hope so! What's a writer to do? Keep writing of course! And submitting, and revising, and praying! With next week off of work, I am making plans to revise my query letter (again), come up with a new list of agents to write to (again), and most importantly, work on my writing. I still have some editing to do for book four in the Willow Ryan series and am looking forward to starting a brand new mainstream novel next month. The important thing is that I'm not giving up, but instead I'm going to work even harder to make my dreams of becoming a published novelist a reality. I won't stop believing!
Sigh... I was not one of the lucky winners of the pitch contest I blogged about a week or so ago. I never really expect to win anything, but for some reason the outcome of this contest was more depressing than most rejections. Just the thought that winning would mean an agent would read and comment on my entire manuscript was so amazing that I let myself get excited about it, but maybe the next contest that comes along will have better results for me.
Or the next query letter. Rejection seems to be the topic of the day, with the contest and another "thanks but no thanks" from an agent. Things have to improve, right? I certainly hope so! What's a writer to do? Keep writing of course! And submitting, and revising, and praying! With next week off of work, I am making plans to revise my query letter (again), come up with a new list of agents to write to (again), and most importantly, work on my writing. I still have some editing to do for book four in the Willow Ryan series and am looking forward to starting a brand new mainstream novel next month. The important thing is that I'm not giving up, but instead I'm going to work even harder to make my dreams of becoming a published novelist a reality. I won't stop believing!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Pitch Contest 2
"So let the games start, you better run your little wild heart." - "The Price You Pay" by Bruce Springsteen
A while back I mentioned a pitch contest from the Beyond Words blog that was really fun and a great opportunity for your work to be seen by an agent. Well, here we go again! Chanelle has another pitch contest going and the prizes are fantastic! The contest is judged by her literary agent, Victoria Marini, of the Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency, who sounds wonderful. First prize is a read and critique of your FULL manuscript by Victoria, and the runner up will have half of his/her manuscript read. I can't stress what an amazing opportunity this could be for an aspiring writer.
Do you have a completed manuscript just waiting to be picked up by an agent? You do? Then what are you waiting for? Go to chanellegray.blogspot.com and enter today. Hurry, the contest ends tomorrow! Good luck to us all!
A while back I mentioned a pitch contest from the Beyond Words blog that was really fun and a great opportunity for your work to be seen by an agent. Well, here we go again! Chanelle has another pitch contest going and the prizes are fantastic! The contest is judged by her literary agent, Victoria Marini, of the Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency, who sounds wonderful. First prize is a read and critique of your FULL manuscript by Victoria, and the runner up will have half of his/her manuscript read. I can't stress what an amazing opportunity this could be for an aspiring writer.
Do you have a completed manuscript just waiting to be picked up by an agent? You do? Then what are you waiting for? Go to chanellegray.blogspot.com and enter today. Hurry, the contest ends tomorrow! Good luck to us all!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
An Unexpected Email
"I've got to admit it's getting better/ A little better all the time." - "Getting Better" by The Beatles
When I was checking my email Thursday night, I saw a response to a query I had sent an agent that immediately jumped out at me. What was strange was that my old title for Secrets was in the subject line. My first thought was that I had made a mistake was lucky enough to receive a form rejection instead of being ignored. I was wrong. My responses from agents are indeed getting better!
The weirdest part however, was that this query had been sent out in May of 2010 and I was just now getting a response! This is not unheard of, but I was still shocked. So, I opened it up to find a message saying that the agent thought I had "a nice writing style and sense of story". Wow, a compliment! Then she went on to say what I have come to expect, that it is very difficult to sell a first time author to a publisher unless the book is perfect. I get that, honestly I do. Then she said that she could put me in touch with an editor and she feels that I will ultimately see my work in print. That sounds like a pretty positive comment to me!
There is no way I can afford a professional editor on my salary, but I immediately realized something. I have done massive editing in the past year after gaining knowledge on my own and taking the advice of another agent who gave me some amazing editing tips. So, I decided to take a chance and email her back, mentioning the editing I had done and asking if she would be willing to look at the first three chapters again. I am not expecting anything to come of this, but it was a wonderfully unexpected surprise if it did. I just hope I hear back from her sooner than last time!
When I was checking my email Thursday night, I saw a response to a query I had sent an agent that immediately jumped out at me. What was strange was that my old title for Secrets was in the subject line. My first thought was that I had made a mistake was lucky enough to receive a form rejection instead of being ignored. I was wrong. My responses from agents are indeed getting better!
The weirdest part however, was that this query had been sent out in May of 2010 and I was just now getting a response! This is not unheard of, but I was still shocked. So, I opened it up to find a message saying that the agent thought I had "a nice writing style and sense of story". Wow, a compliment! Then she went on to say what I have come to expect, that it is very difficult to sell a first time author to a publisher unless the book is perfect. I get that, honestly I do. Then she said that she could put me in touch with an editor and she feels that I will ultimately see my work in print. That sounds like a pretty positive comment to me!
There is no way I can afford a professional editor on my salary, but I immediately realized something. I have done massive editing in the past year after gaining knowledge on my own and taking the advice of another agent who gave me some amazing editing tips. So, I decided to take a chance and email her back, mentioning the editing I had done and asking if she would be willing to look at the first three chapters again. I am not expecting anything to come of this, but it was a wonderfully unexpected surprise if it did. I just hope I hear back from her sooner than last time!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
I'm a Dreamer
"You may say I'm a dreamer/ But I'm not the only one." - "Imagine" by John Lennon
I love "Imagine". It's my favorite Lennon solo song and I'm in awe every time I hear it, even though I have heard it a thousand times before. It's really a pretty simple song, but so powerful and thought-provoking at the same time. The work of a true genius...
So, I just finished watching the Meryl Streep/Amy Adams movie "Julie and Julia", which just gets better each time I see it. In fact, it was my inspiration for starting this blog almost a year ago.
Whenever I watch that movie, I have to throw my hands up in the air and shake my head in amazement and wonder (and, I'll admit, a little bit of jealousy) when Julie's blog takes off and she ends up getting calls from agents, editors, and even publishers who want to represent her and her writing. What an impossible dream that would be! But still, I'm a dreamer and I do fantisize about how incredible it would be to have someone pursue my writing instead of me sending off my hopes and dreams and waiting with my fingers crossed for a positive response. I know it's stupid to even think like that, and believe me, I know it would never happen in a million years because I do live in the real world (most of the time...), but hey, that did actually happen to Julie Powell. I also take solice knowing that I am not the only hopeful writer out there who shares these dreams, as well as these realities. That being said, I didn't start my blog to get noticed and become rich and famous. I started blogging because I always have something to say and don't always have someone around to listen. Plus, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get the word out about my writing just in case... It's always good to have a platform, right?
Okay. Since I know I have to make this dream of becoming a novelist a reality, I am in the process of compiling my next list of agents to query. I have some time off of work in a few weeks and I am going to use it to write, submit to agents, research, and write some more. What? You think that sounds like work? Well, not to me. To me it sounds like the possibility of getting one step closer to my goal, which is music to my ears.
I love "Imagine". It's my favorite Lennon solo song and I'm in awe every time I hear it, even though I have heard it a thousand times before. It's really a pretty simple song, but so powerful and thought-provoking at the same time. The work of a true genius...
So, I just finished watching the Meryl Streep/Amy Adams movie "Julie and Julia", which just gets better each time I see it. In fact, it was my inspiration for starting this blog almost a year ago.
Whenever I watch that movie, I have to throw my hands up in the air and shake my head in amazement and wonder (and, I'll admit, a little bit of jealousy) when Julie's blog takes off and she ends up getting calls from agents, editors, and even publishers who want to represent her and her writing. What an impossible dream that would be! But still, I'm a dreamer and I do fantisize about how incredible it would be to have someone pursue my writing instead of me sending off my hopes and dreams and waiting with my fingers crossed for a positive response. I know it's stupid to even think like that, and believe me, I know it would never happen in a million years because I do live in the real world (most of the time...), but hey, that did actually happen to Julie Powell. I also take solice knowing that I am not the only hopeful writer out there who shares these dreams, as well as these realities. That being said, I didn't start my blog to get noticed and become rich and famous. I started blogging because I always have something to say and don't always have someone around to listen. Plus, I figured it wouldn't hurt to get the word out about my writing just in case... It's always good to have a platform, right?
Okay. Since I know I have to make this dream of becoming a novelist a reality, I am in the process of compiling my next list of agents to query. I have some time off of work in a few weeks and I am going to use it to write, submit to agents, research, and write some more. What? You think that sounds like work? Well, not to me. To me it sounds like the possibility of getting one step closer to my goal, which is music to my ears.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sad
"I don't know why fortune smiles on some/ And lets the rest go free/...There's no use in asking why/ It just turned out that way/ So meet me at midnight baby/ Inside the sad cafe." - "Sad Cafe" by The Eagles
This post will be the opposite of the last one. My silver lining has faded to the point of being invisible to the naked eye. I heard back from the agent that requested a partial, the agent that I really, really thought would be perfect and the right person to represent my book, but she passed. Of course she did! I don't know why I even hoped for anything different. Okay, that was sarcastic bordering on snotty. I'll try to be nice. She said the writing was strong and the story was interesting, but she just didn't feel a strong enough connection as she would need to in order to ask for a full or offer representation. Grr!
Looking past this rejection and moving on to more agents is a big hurdle for me to jump over. Every time I get a request for a partial I tell myself I will not get my hopes up, and I really don't because I am such a pessimist. But unfortunately, a small part of me does think that maybe, just maybe, this is the one agent who will see my potential and recognize that my book is good enough to sit on the bookstore shelves. I know in my heart that it is, and I have been told that by so many people who have read it. It's just so frustrating to never have anything come of it. That being said, I won't give up because someday this is going to happen. But for today, I think I would fit in really well at the Sad Cafe. Does anyone have directions?
This post will be the opposite of the last one. My silver lining has faded to the point of being invisible to the naked eye. I heard back from the agent that requested a partial, the agent that I really, really thought would be perfect and the right person to represent my book, but she passed. Of course she did! I don't know why I even hoped for anything different. Okay, that was sarcastic bordering on snotty. I'll try to be nice. She said the writing was strong and the story was interesting, but she just didn't feel a strong enough connection as she would need to in order to ask for a full or offer representation. Grr!
Looking past this rejection and moving on to more agents is a big hurdle for me to jump over. Every time I get a request for a partial I tell myself I will not get my hopes up, and I really don't because I am such a pessimist. But unfortunately, a small part of me does think that maybe, just maybe, this is the one agent who will see my potential and recognize that my book is good enough to sit on the bookstore shelves. I know in my heart that it is, and I have been told that by so many people who have read it. It's just so frustrating to never have anything come of it. That being said, I won't give up because someday this is going to happen. But for today, I think I would fit in really well at the Sad Cafe. Does anyone have directions?
Friday, May 6, 2011
Silver Lining
"Many dreams come true and some have silver linings/ I live for my dream and a pocketful of gold." - "Over the Hills and Far Away" by Led Zeppelin
Okay. This song of the day is pretty self-explanitory. There are many, many writers out there whose dreams of publication have become a reality, and I want my dream to be realized too. The rejections I have received as well as the feedback do come with a silver lining, because they have all taught me so much about this business that I didn't know when I began two years ago. As for the pocketful of gold, that would be cool, but I'd settle for a check to pay my credit card bills. Whoa, dream big!
If you couldn't already tell, I'm getting impatient... again. In the past month I have sent out several queries and gotten a few rejections (nothing new, unfortunately), so I took a gamble. Earlier this year, an agent requested three chapters from me and ultimately passed, but I thought that maybe since I had totally reworked the beginning of my first novel, she would be willing to give it a second chance. Low and behold, her intern responded to my query and said that they would be happy to take a second look! Another silver lining perhaps? Maybe my work was rejected the first time around to give me a chance to do some rewriting, leading to a much stronger manuscript. I know I'm grasping at straws, but looking for silver linings is not what I typically do. Normally I would just see something as tarnished, messed up, or a total waste.
Anyway, this agent would be fantastic to work with and I can't wait to hear back. I'm not getting my hopes up at all because I've been burned too many times to be that optimistic now, but the waiting is killing me! It's only been nine days which is a nanosecond in the literary world, but what can I say? Patience has never been a strong point for me. I'm just hoping that her response will be my figurative "pocketful of gold" when it does arrive.
Okay. This song of the day is pretty self-explanitory. There are many, many writers out there whose dreams of publication have become a reality, and I want my dream to be realized too. The rejections I have received as well as the feedback do come with a silver lining, because they have all taught me so much about this business that I didn't know when I began two years ago. As for the pocketful of gold, that would be cool, but I'd settle for a check to pay my credit card bills. Whoa, dream big!
If you couldn't already tell, I'm getting impatient... again. In the past month I have sent out several queries and gotten a few rejections (nothing new, unfortunately), so I took a gamble. Earlier this year, an agent requested three chapters from me and ultimately passed, but I thought that maybe since I had totally reworked the beginning of my first novel, she would be willing to give it a second chance. Low and behold, her intern responded to my query and said that they would be happy to take a second look! Another silver lining perhaps? Maybe my work was rejected the first time around to give me a chance to do some rewriting, leading to a much stronger manuscript. I know I'm grasping at straws, but looking for silver linings is not what I typically do. Normally I would just see something as tarnished, messed up, or a total waste.
Anyway, this agent would be fantastic to work with and I can't wait to hear back. I'm not getting my hopes up at all because I've been burned too many times to be that optimistic now, but the waiting is killing me! It's only been nine days which is a nanosecond in the literary world, but what can I say? Patience has never been a strong point for me. I'm just hoping that her response will be my figurative "pocketful of gold" when it does arrive.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
All the Pages Are My Days
"In the book of love's own dreams/ Where all the print is blood/ Where all the pages are my days/ And all my lights grow old." - "Attics of my Life" by The Grateful Dead
Aren't those beautiful words? So poetic and so true. When I read the words I have written in my own books, they are so reflective of all of the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into each and every page. For me, writing is not just something I do, but a way in which I am able to live. It allows me to be expressive, to dream, to create something that otherwise would not exist. I have been writing the Willow Ryan series for two years now, and those pages really are my days since the idea for Willow's character first came to me in a flood of inspiration that honestly still blows my mind whenever I think about it.
That's kind of what led me to the deicision I made today. As many of you know, for the past few months I have had older versions of my first two books (I have since done some editing that I am so happy with!)available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon in the form of ebooks. Overall it has been a good experience, but I have decided to really renew my efforts to get an agent, and I don't want anything jeopardizing my chances at representation. So, I have taken my ebooks off sale. Hopefully at some point in the future (not too long in the future!), the Willow Ryan series will be available in traditional book form, which is what I have wanted all along. I know that these books are marketable, entertaining, relevant, and, not to toot my horn, well-written, so it's just a matter of finding the right agent who will agree with me on these points. Sigh...
To all of you who downloaded Secrets and Promises, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I know that some people are leary of paying to read an unknown author's novel, but I really appreciate those of you who gave me a chance. I am going to work my hardest to make sure that my books are sitting on the bookstore shelves someday, where they belong.
Aren't those beautiful words? So poetic and so true. When I read the words I have written in my own books, they are so reflective of all of the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into each and every page. For me, writing is not just something I do, but a way in which I am able to live. It allows me to be expressive, to dream, to create something that otherwise would not exist. I have been writing the Willow Ryan series for two years now, and those pages really are my days since the idea for Willow's character first came to me in a flood of inspiration that honestly still blows my mind whenever I think about it.
That's kind of what led me to the deicision I made today. As many of you know, for the past few months I have had older versions of my first two books (I have since done some editing that I am so happy with!)available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon in the form of ebooks. Overall it has been a good experience, but I have decided to really renew my efforts to get an agent, and I don't want anything jeopardizing my chances at representation. So, I have taken my ebooks off sale. Hopefully at some point in the future (not too long in the future!), the Willow Ryan series will be available in traditional book form, which is what I have wanted all along. I know that these books are marketable, entertaining, relevant, and, not to toot my horn, well-written, so it's just a matter of finding the right agent who will agree with me on these points. Sigh...
To all of you who downloaded Secrets and Promises, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I know that some people are leary of paying to read an unknown author's novel, but I really appreciate those of you who gave me a chance. I am going to work my hardest to make sure that my books are sitting on the bookstore shelves someday, where they belong.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Summer's Creeping In
"I feel summer creepin' in/ And I'm tired of this town again." - "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
I'm starting to get that panicky feeling that I get every spring when I realize that it's only a matter of time - days, weeks if I'm lucky - that the horrible, stifling heat and humidity of summer will overtake the area and stepping outside will feel like suffocating in a sauna. Nice, huh.
With the realization that summer is almost here, I am hard at work trying to get some writing business done before the girls' school year ends and my work week goes from 30-35 hours to 50-55 hours. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to my extra time with them and have been busy getting my lesson plans together, but the extra nanny/homeschool hours will severly cut into my writing time. I am about 225 pages into my fourth Willow book and am hoping to finish it by June. If not, no big deal, but wouldn't it be nice? I have queried several potential agents and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get a positive response from at least one of them.
So, with shopping around my first manuscript, trying to complete my fourth novel, writing lesson plans for an entire summer that will challenge two extremely brilliant young children, and still working hard at my regular school-year nanny duties, I've been a little busy. I know it will only get more hectic as summer continues to creep in, but hopefully the hot weather and long days will bring some good news of future success in the literary world...
I'm starting to get that panicky feeling that I get every spring when I realize that it's only a matter of time - days, weeks if I'm lucky - that the horrible, stifling heat and humidity of summer will overtake the area and stepping outside will feel like suffocating in a sauna. Nice, huh.
With the realization that summer is almost here, I am hard at work trying to get some writing business done before the girls' school year ends and my work week goes from 30-35 hours to 50-55 hours. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to my extra time with them and have been busy getting my lesson plans together, but the extra nanny/homeschool hours will severly cut into my writing time. I am about 225 pages into my fourth Willow book and am hoping to finish it by June. If not, no big deal, but wouldn't it be nice? I have queried several potential agents and am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get a positive response from at least one of them.
So, with shopping around my first manuscript, trying to complete my fourth novel, writing lesson plans for an entire summer that will challenge two extremely brilliant young children, and still working hard at my regular school-year nanny duties, I've been a little busy. I know it will only get more hectic as summer continues to creep in, but hopefully the hot weather and long days will bring some good news of future success in the literary world...
Friday, April 15, 2011
No Negative Words!
"Was a sunny day/ Not a cloud was in the sky/ Not a negative word was heard/ From the peoples passing by." - "Was a Sunny Day" by Paul Simon
Wow, two days in one year that I don't mind the sunshine. Who would've thought? I, the eternal lover of dark, cold, winter days, am actually enjoying the sunny weather and look forward to spending the afternoon outside with the girls. Did I undergo a lobotomy without my knowledge?
I think one reason for my good mood is that I am getting back into the submissions game. I have sent queries to a handful of agents that I think would be a good fit for my newly revised manuscript. It feels good to be doing something proactive! Hopefully this time around I will find the agent who was meant to represent me and my work.
I'm not holding my breath though, because I have been going through this long enough to be jaded by the process. I received two form rejections already (surprise, surprise), but that doesn't mean I won't get a better response tomorrow. I'm hoping I don't hear any negative words though. I can accept that my novel is not for everyone. After all, what book is? No matter what, I'll keep on truckin' though. I know, I know, but I just couldn't resist sneaking in another song reference!
Wow, two days in one year that I don't mind the sunshine. Who would've thought? I, the eternal lover of dark, cold, winter days, am actually enjoying the sunny weather and look forward to spending the afternoon outside with the girls. Did I undergo a lobotomy without my knowledge?
I think one reason for my good mood is that I am getting back into the submissions game. I have sent queries to a handful of agents that I think would be a good fit for my newly revised manuscript. It feels good to be doing something proactive! Hopefully this time around I will find the agent who was meant to represent me and my work.
I'm not holding my breath though, because I have been going through this long enough to be jaded by the process. I received two form rejections already (surprise, surprise), but that doesn't mean I won't get a better response tomorrow. I'm hoping I don't hear any negative words though. I can accept that my novel is not for everyone. After all, what book is? No matter what, I'll keep on truckin' though. I know, I know, but I just couldn't resist sneaking in another song reference!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Great Feedback!
"My friend said take her with you/ To leave her here would be a crime/ But let's get outta Santa Cruz/ All I got is a Canadian dime." - "The Trip To Pirate's Cove" by Tom Petty
I heard back from the last agent I queried for Secrets (the one who judged the pitch contest I came in third on), and for the first time, I really am okay with getting a rejection letter. Honestly, I expected it since women's fiction isn't exactly his area of interest, but the feedback he gave me was terrific!
Not only did he think that the changes I made to chapter one were great, but he said that he understood Willow's reasons for wanting to move back to California because he felt that way as a teenager too, having left a small town in CA when he was a young child just like her. It's so wonderful to hear that I have conveyed the emotional reasons for her choice to return to her first home so effectively. I must be doing something right!
The fictional town of Santa Elena that I created for the Willow Ryan series is based in part on Santa Cruz, CA, a cool little hippie beach town in Central California that time forgot. I lived there from the ages of 9-13 and grew to appreciate it's unique charm and appeal as I got older. I wanted to give Willow a safe place that wouldn't judge her and would fully accept her and all of her baggage, and I think of Santa Cruz as a place like that. I also incorporated memories and stories of Santa Monica and Covina, CA into Santa Elena for other reasons, but Santa Cruz was my main inspiration. I'm so glad that my descriptions are accurately painting a picture for people who are reading my work.
Now, on to the next agents. I will be going over my list once again and selecting a handful of literary agents who I fell would be a perfect fit for my book, and I'll keep my fingers crossed as I hit the send button and stick the stamps on the envelopes.
Remember when you had to lick stamps? Are there any children of the 80's out there who recall being warned not to accept stamps from strangers because they could be laced with LSD? That was pretty freaky! I have a very clear memory of that conversation from first grade in Covina, CA. The first grader I teach doesn't even know that drugs exist! Ah, to be so uninformed and innocent...
Anyway, I have a good feeling about this next round of submissions, but I'll stop there before I jinx myself!
I heard back from the last agent I queried for Secrets (the one who judged the pitch contest I came in third on), and for the first time, I really am okay with getting a rejection letter. Honestly, I expected it since women's fiction isn't exactly his area of interest, but the feedback he gave me was terrific!
Not only did he think that the changes I made to chapter one were great, but he said that he understood Willow's reasons for wanting to move back to California because he felt that way as a teenager too, having left a small town in CA when he was a young child just like her. It's so wonderful to hear that I have conveyed the emotional reasons for her choice to return to her first home so effectively. I must be doing something right!
The fictional town of Santa Elena that I created for the Willow Ryan series is based in part on Santa Cruz, CA, a cool little hippie beach town in Central California that time forgot. I lived there from the ages of 9-13 and grew to appreciate it's unique charm and appeal as I got older. I wanted to give Willow a safe place that wouldn't judge her and would fully accept her and all of her baggage, and I think of Santa Cruz as a place like that. I also incorporated memories and stories of Santa Monica and Covina, CA into Santa Elena for other reasons, but Santa Cruz was my main inspiration. I'm so glad that my descriptions are accurately painting a picture for people who are reading my work.
Now, on to the next agents. I will be going over my list once again and selecting a handful of literary agents who I fell would be a perfect fit for my book, and I'll keep my fingers crossed as I hit the send button and stick the stamps on the envelopes.
Remember when you had to lick stamps? Are there any children of the 80's out there who recall being warned not to accept stamps from strangers because they could be laced with LSD? That was pretty freaky! I have a very clear memory of that conversation from first grade in Covina, CA. The first grader I teach doesn't even know that drugs exist! Ah, to be so uninformed and innocent...
Anyway, I have a good feeling about this next round of submissions, but I'll stop there before I jinx myself!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Chasing a Dream
"She had a dream/ And boy it was a good one/ So she chased after her dream/ With much desire." - "Paper and Fire" by John Mellencamp
Over the weekend I finished rereading book one in my Willow Ryan series for what seems like the millionth time - not that I minded. I enjoyed getting back to where Willow started, and I am so happy with the revisions I made to chapter one. I just hope that the agent(s) are too! I'm chasing this dream and I feel that I'm now one step closer to making it happen with my new and improved manuscript.
So now I'm back to writing book four. I'm approximately halfway done with it, and my goal for the week is to complete chapter 13. When I returned to book four yesterday, it amazed me to see just how much Willow's character has grown over the series. In book one she started out as a scared teenager who, although independent and mature, was still a kid in so many ways. Now she has a much more solid foundation and is more sure of herself and her place in the world. She is so much like a real person. Just think of how much you changed in the few years after graduating high school...
Over the weekend I finished rereading book one in my Willow Ryan series for what seems like the millionth time - not that I minded. I enjoyed getting back to where Willow started, and I am so happy with the revisions I made to chapter one. I just hope that the agent(s) are too! I'm chasing this dream and I feel that I'm now one step closer to making it happen with my new and improved manuscript.
So now I'm back to writing book four. I'm approximately halfway done with it, and my goal for the week is to complete chapter 13. When I returned to book four yesterday, it amazed me to see just how much Willow's character has grown over the series. In book one she started out as a scared teenager who, although independent and mature, was still a kid in so many ways. Now she has a much more solid foundation and is more sure of herself and her place in the world. She is so much like a real person. Just think of how much you changed in the few years after graduating high school...
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Schrodinger's Cat Paradox...For Writing
"Well now our old fears and failures/ Baby, they do linger." - "All the Way Home" by Bruce Springsteen
After spending a few days thinking about how I wanted to improve chapter one of my first Willow Ryan book and taking the entire weekend to rewrite, I am really happy with the finished product. I used all of the advice I got from the agent who sponsored the pitch contest, and I have to say, it made a huge difference! I emailed him my query and the first three chapters this morning, so now I'm just waiting to hear back.
Now the reason for the title of this post. Schrodinger was a physicist who did an experiment where he locked a cat in a box with a vial of poison that would open at some time in the future. Since no one knew exactly when the cat would come into contact with the poison, the cat could be thought of as both dead and alive. Disturbing right? A classic paradox. That's how I feel about sending out this latest query. Since my revised work is now in the hands of an agent, I can look at it as the next rejection or the first step to publication. Since this agent gave me advice on how to fix the beginning of my novel, I feel like a lot more is riding on this query than any other one I sent out. Will he like the changes I made? Did I do too much telling instead of showing? Did I totally screw something up? Does the rest of the chapter match the quality of the first three lines which he actually described as skillfully written (so beyond exciting!)?
Like Schrodinger's Cat, I too am in a paradox, although it's not one that could kill me. It may drive me insane, but that's another story! I just hope that when I do hear back from this agent, it's good news and not another "Thanks for allowing me to read your pages, however..."
After spending a few days thinking about how I wanted to improve chapter one of my first Willow Ryan book and taking the entire weekend to rewrite, I am really happy with the finished product. I used all of the advice I got from the agent who sponsored the pitch contest, and I have to say, it made a huge difference! I emailed him my query and the first three chapters this morning, so now I'm just waiting to hear back.
Now the reason for the title of this post. Schrodinger was a physicist who did an experiment where he locked a cat in a box with a vial of poison that would open at some time in the future. Since no one knew exactly when the cat would come into contact with the poison, the cat could be thought of as both dead and alive. Disturbing right? A classic paradox. That's how I feel about sending out this latest query. Since my revised work is now in the hands of an agent, I can look at it as the next rejection or the first step to publication. Since this agent gave me advice on how to fix the beginning of my novel, I feel like a lot more is riding on this query than any other one I sent out. Will he like the changes I made? Did I do too much telling instead of showing? Did I totally screw something up? Does the rest of the chapter match the quality of the first three lines which he actually described as skillfully written (so beyond exciting!)?
Like Schrodinger's Cat, I too am in a paradox, although it's not one that could kill me. It may drive me insane, but that's another story! I just hope that when I do hear back from this agent, it's good news and not another "Thanks for allowing me to read your pages, however..."
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Critique is in!
"Yeah, running down a dream/ That never would come to me/ We're working on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads/ Running down a dream." - "Running Down a Dream" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Literary agent Michael Carr already got back to me with the critique of the first page of my manuscript, and I have to say that I'm really pleased with his comments. He liked the way it started out with a little suspense, then he suggested that I draw that out a little, which I think is a great idea. He also said that instead of telling the information, I need to show it unfolding. I can do that! All in all, it seemed like he thought I was off to a really good start.
I have been running down this dream of seeing something come of this book, and I feel that I'm finally getting somewhere. I'm going to take these tips and rewrite the first chapter, and I'll see where it leads me. Hopefully I will have a much better product in the end that will grab the attention of a great agent.
So, my goal for this week is to get the revisions going on chapter one of Secrets. I already know a few things I want to change, so I think it will be a fairly easy process. For the first time, I'm actually excited about doing some editing! Now the work begins...
Literary agent Michael Carr already got back to me with the critique of the first page of my manuscript, and I have to say that I'm really pleased with his comments. He liked the way it started out with a little suspense, then he suggested that I draw that out a little, which I think is a great idea. He also said that instead of telling the information, I need to show it unfolding. I can do that! All in all, it seemed like he thought I was off to a really good start.
I have been running down this dream of seeing something come of this book, and I feel that I'm finally getting somewhere. I'm going to take these tips and rewrite the first chapter, and I'll see where it leads me. Hopefully I will have a much better product in the end that will grab the attention of a great agent.
So, my goal for this week is to get the revisions going on chapter one of Secrets. I already know a few things I want to change, so I think it will be a fairly easy process. For the first time, I'm actually excited about doing some editing! Now the work begins...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Contest Results
"It's a beautiful morning, ahh/ I think I'll go outside for a while/ And just smile!" - "It's a Beautiful Morning" by The Rascals
Remember last week I talked about a Twitter Pitch Contest on Chanelle Gray's blog, "Beyond Words", hosted by agent Michael Carr with Veritas Literary? Well, the results were posted yesterday and I am one of the lucky winners! That's why my song of the day is so upbeat and perky (so not me!). Now my first three chapters of Secrets are off to Michael and I will be receiving a professional critique of the first page. This is such an amazing opportunity, I can hardly believe that I was one of the chosen ones. Go me!
Chanelle's Blog: http://chanellegray.blogspot.com
Remember last week I talked about a Twitter Pitch Contest on Chanelle Gray's blog, "Beyond Words", hosted by agent Michael Carr with Veritas Literary? Well, the results were posted yesterday and I am one of the lucky winners! That's why my song of the day is so upbeat and perky (so not me!). Now my first three chapters of Secrets are off to Michael and I will be receiving a professional critique of the first page. This is such an amazing opportunity, I can hardly believe that I was one of the chosen ones. Go me!
Chanelle's Blog: http://chanellegray.blogspot.com
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Pitch Contest
My song of the day remains the same (see previous post).
This is a special message telling all of my fellow writers out there about a great contest I came across while browsing the Absolute Write Water Cooler. Check out http://chanellegray.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html for all of the rules and stipulations. Basically, if you have a great pitch for your novel, here is a chance to get a legitimate literary agent to take a look! I'm going to give it a try. Wish me luck!
This is a special message telling all of my fellow writers out there about a great contest I came across while browsing the Absolute Write Water Cooler. Check out http://chanellegray.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html for all of the rules and stipulations. Basically, if you have a great pitch for your novel, here is a chance to get a legitimate literary agent to take a look! I'm going to give it a try. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Suffer the Rain
"But nobody's never gonna tell you the way/ You gotta figure it out boys and suffer the rain/ And the fools in the night and the heat in the day/ When all you ever really wanted was for someone to understand." - "Film Noir" by The Gaslight Anthem
I love this song. Whenever I hear it, I think of how you have to work as hard as you can to get where you want to go, and no one is going to do the work for you. You may suffer along the way, but the pain is part of the journey. So true. These guys know what they're talking about.
As far as my journey toward a career in writing goes, I am once again renewing my efforts to get an agent. I know it will happen, but with "time time ticking away" (another line from "Film Noir"), I am getting a little anxious. I am not by nature a patient person, so it takes a lot of effort to wait for something for years, but I know it will be worth it when I finally find the right agent.
In the meantime, I am writing. It's the best therapy I know, and the only kind I can afford! Seriously though, I am now over 100 pages into the fourth Willow book, and I am really pleased with where the story is going. Sometimes I know exactly what will take place in the coming pages or chapters and sometimes I am just as surprised at what my characters do or say as my readers are. It's fun to see what will happen next in the charming town of Santa Elena, so I better get busy and continue their story!
I love this song. Whenever I hear it, I think of how you have to work as hard as you can to get where you want to go, and no one is going to do the work for you. You may suffer along the way, but the pain is part of the journey. So true. These guys know what they're talking about.
As far as my journey toward a career in writing goes, I am once again renewing my efforts to get an agent. I know it will happen, but with "time time ticking away" (another line from "Film Noir"), I am getting a little anxious. I am not by nature a patient person, so it takes a lot of effort to wait for something for years, but I know it will be worth it when I finally find the right agent.
In the meantime, I am writing. It's the best therapy I know, and the only kind I can afford! Seriously though, I am now over 100 pages into the fourth Willow book, and I am really pleased with where the story is going. Sometimes I know exactly what will take place in the coming pages or chapters and sometimes I am just as surprised at what my characters do or say as my readers are. It's fun to see what will happen next in the charming town of Santa Elena, so I better get busy and continue their story!
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