"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.
Showing posts with label publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label publishing. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Right Words Never Come
"Take another shot of courage/ Wonder why the right words never come/ You just get numb/ It's another tequila sunrise/ This old world still looks the same/ Another frame." - "Tequila Sunrise" by The Eagles
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about sending off a partial manuscript to Andrea Cirillo, an agent from the Jane Rotrosen Agency who had requested the first three chapters of my novel Secrets. I was very excited but at the same time realistic about my chances, and this is why. Today I got my SASE back, and as I stared momentarily at my own neat, tiny writing on the outside of the envelope that had traveled to New York and back, I knew. The rejection was brief and polite, and she said some encouraging words which are definitely appreciated, but at that moment nothing mattered other than the fact that it was a rejection. They all look the same after you realize that it's a no.
In the literary world, writers aren't supposed to take rejections personally, because after all, this is a business. But to me, this is just about as personal as you can get. How can I remain unattached to my work, unfeeling toward the 98,000 words I wrote straight from the heart? The answer is, I can't. I have spent the last two years pouring my heart and soul out into that book, and to me, it is painful to see those "thanks but no thanks" words typed across a piece of letterhead.
I realize that the opinons of literary agents shouldn't effect me like they do, and on a professional and logical level I understand the business side of writing. But on an emotional level, it hurts when the right words never come. The words that say my writing is good enough, that it means something and is worthy of being published. That being said, I am not giving up. I have invested way too much time, hope, and tears to walk away from something that means so much to me. I will keep trying, and I have to believe that eventually I will succeed. That's what gives me "another shot of courage" to send out more letters and work like crazy to make my dreams come true. Here's to hoping for better luck next time...
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about sending off a partial manuscript to Andrea Cirillo, an agent from the Jane Rotrosen Agency who had requested the first three chapters of my novel Secrets. I was very excited but at the same time realistic about my chances, and this is why. Today I got my SASE back, and as I stared momentarily at my own neat, tiny writing on the outside of the envelope that had traveled to New York and back, I knew. The rejection was brief and polite, and she said some encouraging words which are definitely appreciated, but at that moment nothing mattered other than the fact that it was a rejection. They all look the same after you realize that it's a no.
In the literary world, writers aren't supposed to take rejections personally, because after all, this is a business. But to me, this is just about as personal as you can get. How can I remain unattached to my work, unfeeling toward the 98,000 words I wrote straight from the heart? The answer is, I can't. I have spent the last two years pouring my heart and soul out into that book, and to me, it is painful to see those "thanks but no thanks" words typed across a piece of letterhead.
I realize that the opinons of literary agents shouldn't effect me like they do, and on a professional and logical level I understand the business side of writing. But on an emotional level, it hurts when the right words never come. The words that say my writing is good enough, that it means something and is worthy of being published. That being said, I am not giving up. I have invested way too much time, hope, and tears to walk away from something that means so much to me. I will keep trying, and I have to believe that eventually I will succeed. That's what gives me "another shot of courage" to send out more letters and work like crazy to make my dreams come true. Here's to hoping for better luck next time...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Keep on Truckin'
"Truckin' like the Doodah man/ Once told me "Gotta play your hand"/ Sometimes the cards ain't worth a dime/ If you don't lay them down." - "Truckin'" by the Grateful Dead
I have once again renewed my efforts to get an agent. I compiled a list of a dozen or so agents that I think would be a good fit for my "Willow Ryan" series and started sending off letters.
I retooled my query letter for the millionth time, hoping against hope that one of the changes I made will make a difference in my quest for literary success. I have been at this for quite a while now, but after a very long work week and a short paycheck (sigh), one thing remains the same. I. MUST. GET. PUBLISHED. Seriously, there has to be something more out there for me. In fact, I know there is, and I always have. Not to sound cocky or anything, but I know I have it in me to be a full-time, published, and PAID author.
Until the time when a professional agent and/or publisher realizes this too, I will keep on truckin' (maybe not like the Doodah man though...) and do what I can to make it happen.
I have once again renewed my efforts to get an agent. I compiled a list of a dozen or so agents that I think would be a good fit for my "Willow Ryan" series and started sending off letters.
I retooled my query letter for the millionth time, hoping against hope that one of the changes I made will make a difference in my quest for literary success. I have been at this for quite a while now, but after a very long work week and a short paycheck (sigh), one thing remains the same. I. MUST. GET. PUBLISHED. Seriously, there has to be something more out there for me. In fact, I know there is, and I always have. Not to sound cocky or anything, but I know I have it in me to be a full-time, published, and PAID author.
Until the time when a professional agent and/or publisher realizes this too, I will keep on truckin' (maybe not like the Doodah man though...) and do what I can to make it happen.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Adios 2010!
"We'll take a cup of kindness yet/ For auld lang syne."
Does this song congure up the memory of the Bailey family in the final scene of "It's a Wonderful Life" for everyone, or is it just me? I had to include this song for my New Year's Eve post, so here it is.
When I was growing up, I remember hearing adults say how the older you get, the quicker the years go by, and I have to admit that it does seem to be true. This year has flown by, and now we are entering 2011. That seems very strange to me.
Yesterday my second Willow Ryan novel, "Promises", became available for download at Barnes & Noble, and I'm really hoping that this coming year will bring me better luck on the publishing front than 2010 did. It was really a dud of a year in that respect! Anyway, I am renewing my efforts to get a literary agent and become published in print, I will continue writing poetry, in the very near future I will start working on my fourth Willow book, and I am going to seriously try to get some articles published as well. Getting published is not my New Year's resolution, because people either break those on January 2 or never work on them in the first place. Instead, these goals are something that I want to do, aspire to do, NEED to do, so they will get done. I just hope that my goals for 2012 are not the same ones I just wrote about today! Happy New Year everybody!
Does this song congure up the memory of the Bailey family in the final scene of "It's a Wonderful Life" for everyone, or is it just me? I had to include this song for my New Year's Eve post, so here it is.
When I was growing up, I remember hearing adults say how the older you get, the quicker the years go by, and I have to admit that it does seem to be true. This year has flown by, and now we are entering 2011. That seems very strange to me.
Yesterday my second Willow Ryan novel, "Promises", became available for download at Barnes & Noble, and I'm really hoping that this coming year will bring me better luck on the publishing front than 2010 did. It was really a dud of a year in that respect! Anyway, I am renewing my efforts to get a literary agent and become published in print, I will continue writing poetry, in the very near future I will start working on my fourth Willow book, and I am going to seriously try to get some articles published as well. Getting published is not my New Year's resolution, because people either break those on January 2 or never work on them in the first place. Instead, these goals are something that I want to do, aspire to do, NEED to do, so they will get done. I just hope that my goals for 2012 are not the same ones I just wrote about today! Happy New Year everybody!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Here I Go Again
"Here I go again on my own/ Going down the only road I've ever known/ Like a drifter I was born to walk alone/ And I've made up my mind/ I ain't wasting no more time/ But here I go again." - "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
Yep, here I go again. My last round of query letters went nowhere, so I have my new list and will start sending out emails today. I have reworked my letter for the millionth time, and hopefully it now has the spark or hook that it was apparently missing before.
I have edited my first manuscript more times than I can count, and I truly believe that I have the best possible version of "Willow Ryan" that I can write. I just need someone with clout in the publishing world to agree with me. In the meantime, I keep praying, I keep my fingers crossed, and I just keep trying!
Yep, here I go again. My last round of query letters went nowhere, so I have my new list and will start sending out emails today. I have reworked my letter for the millionth time, and hopefully it now has the spark or hook that it was apparently missing before.
I have edited my first manuscript more times than I can count, and I truly believe that I have the best possible version of "Willow Ryan" that I can write. I just need someone with clout in the publishing world to agree with me. In the meantime, I keep praying, I keep my fingers crossed, and I just keep trying!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mistakes
"And bad mistakes/ I've made a few." - "We Are the Champions" by Queen
This weekend I got my 2011 "Guide to Literary Agents", which I flipped through and already found a few potential agents to submit to. With this next round of submissions being my third or fourth, I have figured a thing or two out; namely, what doesn't work. Here are a few hints, hopefully helpful, of what not to do when querying agents. I have, unfortunately, made each of these mistakes myself.
1. Catch all the typos! I have to reread my letter three times, because if I don't, I will inevitably miss some stupid typo that will surely make the agent toss my letter into the recycling bin or delete my email in an instant.
2. Double check the agent's name. On one unfortunate night when I was working on sending out my first query letters, I accidentally transposed the name of the agent I was writing to with the next name on my list, from a completely different agency. Oops! Needless to say, I never heard back from that agent. Ugh.
3. Don't get your hopes up. I know this sounds jaded, but trust me, it's good advice. It's so exciting when an agent asks for sample chapters and shows an interest in your work, but don't read into this too much because you are just setting yourself up for heartbreak if and when the rejection letter comes. Celebrate yes, but do it quietly and don't get caught up in what might happen. Stay focused and level-headed, and you will be better off for it in the end.
4. Don't approach agents too soon! I can't stress this one enough. I have to admit, I started querying as soon as I completed my first novel, before I had even done any editing! Huge mistake! Looking back, I can't believe that I thought my work was ready to be taken seriously, or myself for that matter. After carefully fine-tuning my manuscript and taking the time (a lot of time!) to learn about the publishing business, I can honestly say that both "Willow Ryan" and I are ready for the big time!
5. Whatever you do, don't give up! I have been told this by family, friends, and literary agents who, for whatever reason, chose to pass on my novel. I know I can write, and I know my story is worthy of being on the bookstore shelves, so I just have to keep at it. It's hard when the rejections just keep coming, but after a year of trying to find representation, I finally understand that this is a very fickle business, but the right agent is out there to take on me and my work.
I may not be a champion yet, but someday...
This weekend I got my 2011 "Guide to Literary Agents", which I flipped through and already found a few potential agents to submit to. With this next round of submissions being my third or fourth, I have figured a thing or two out; namely, what doesn't work. Here are a few hints, hopefully helpful, of what not to do when querying agents. I have, unfortunately, made each of these mistakes myself.
1. Catch all the typos! I have to reread my letter three times, because if I don't, I will inevitably miss some stupid typo that will surely make the agent toss my letter into the recycling bin or delete my email in an instant.
2. Double check the agent's name. On one unfortunate night when I was working on sending out my first query letters, I accidentally transposed the name of the agent I was writing to with the next name on my list, from a completely different agency. Oops! Needless to say, I never heard back from that agent. Ugh.
3. Don't get your hopes up. I know this sounds jaded, but trust me, it's good advice. It's so exciting when an agent asks for sample chapters and shows an interest in your work, but don't read into this too much because you are just setting yourself up for heartbreak if and when the rejection letter comes. Celebrate yes, but do it quietly and don't get caught up in what might happen. Stay focused and level-headed, and you will be better off for it in the end.
4. Don't approach agents too soon! I can't stress this one enough. I have to admit, I started querying as soon as I completed my first novel, before I had even done any editing! Huge mistake! Looking back, I can't believe that I thought my work was ready to be taken seriously, or myself for that matter. After carefully fine-tuning my manuscript and taking the time (a lot of time!) to learn about the publishing business, I can honestly say that both "Willow Ryan" and I are ready for the big time!
5. Whatever you do, don't give up! I have been told this by family, friends, and literary agents who, for whatever reason, chose to pass on my novel. I know I can write, and I know my story is worthy of being on the bookstore shelves, so I just have to keep at it. It's hard when the rejections just keep coming, but after a year of trying to find representation, I finally understand that this is a very fickle business, but the right agent is out there to take on me and my work.
I may not be a champion yet, but someday...
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