I keep changing my header. I can’t commit.
Also, this struck me as kinda funny.
Monthly Archive for March, 2010
We all have bad days.
Even Natalie Whipple, who is talented enough to land the awesome Nathan Brandsford as an agent, struggles with writer self-esteem and has some great points to make about it. Like the fact that you wouldn’t be a writer if you didn’t think you had something to offer.
Nate the Great himself has some encouraging words about frustration and negativity. I especially like his part about the power of the spoken “whatever.”
Neil Gaiman. Yes, even Neil Gaiman has considered giving up. He has a hilarious pep talk on the NANOWRIMO website. Seriously, I am a shark, and you cannot even wallow in the uniqueness of your despair because, like, everyone gets that way. (That sentence makes more sense once you read the article. I promise.) Continue reading ‘In case you’re feeling like giving up because you might be crazy and why did I become a writer anyways…’
It’s been a while since my last post, due to some internal maintenance needed on my blog. In the mean time, I’ve researched some social networking resources to share:
A friend and I were discussing the ever daunting Twitter the other day. This is one piece of the social networking puzzle that many writers, including myself, have yet to take advantage of. Luckily, I stumbled across Inkygirl’s amazing resource, Writer’s Guide To Twitter. I recommend digging around the entire site. Besides hilarious comics, she also has some great resources such as writing contests with no entry fees.
I came across a great blog, Make A Living Writing, Carol Tice’s freelance advice, along with a load of helpful information about social networking, including, blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn, the list goes on.
Continue reading ‘Some Social Networking Resources’
So I’ve been reading a ridiculous amount in the past few weeks, and I’m anxious to share my thoughts.
Before I composed my opinions, I emailed Mary Kole of Kidlit.com and asked if she thought posting book reviews on my blog could hurt my chances of getting published. I asked because I’d read a couple of books recently that flat out disappointed me—grammatically, plot-wise, character-wise—and I didn’t want my honest opinion stepping on the same toes that I might need to kiss up to in the near future.
Mary took my concern seriously and responded with a very thorough answer. Thank God for people like her in the publishing industry.
In summary, she said to stay positive. She also said that every author is a bundle of nerves, and they and their agents and editors are most likely watching the internet for any review that mentions their book, so it is quite possible that I would hurt feelings. She made it clear that it is one thing to analyze and another to write a scathing review.
I appreciate her time and honest insight. I truly believe my journey as an author would still be in the “wishful thinking” stage if it weren’t for kidlit.com
Needless to say, reviews are coming soon, I’m just working on making them as positive and helpful as possible!
First of all, I came across two posts that gave me some sympathy for agents. Chris with Upstart Crow wrote about his dreams of being an “agent of the people,” and the rejectionist showed a soft side. So they do understand. Maybe.
Also, my manuscript and I have decided to take a little break. We will live seperate lives for a week. Or at least until I finish TWILIGHT. It’s a different book! Not what you think. —okay, it is. I’m doing research, understand? What in the heck is so alluring about it?
Then I will dive in head first. I received some fabulous advice from my critique buddy. I wish I could have been as helpful as she was, but I don’t think her book was nearly as rough as mine. I’m trying to view this process as helping my little baby caterpillar manuscript transform into a beautiful butterfly. Or not…I just wanted to tie in the pretty picture above somehow.
Peace.
Oh wait…PS. See that em-dash above? I don’t even think it needs to be there, but I was soooo excited to use it. See, I’ve been the – - kinda dash person because my word program is so outdated, but now I know the secret to perfect em-dashes every time. I’m telling everyone, and they think I’m crazy. mwhahahaha. (clears throat) ctrl+alt+the dash thingy on your 10 key baybay.
Finished reading/critiquing one of my critique group buddies’ manuscripts.
I really enjoyed this story. I’ve been cramming so much reading through my feeble brain lately that I’ve become quite ruthless regarding whether a story is boring or not. This one is not.
I was somehow emotionally connected with dead rodents and rooting them on until the end. Plus, the end wasn’t completely predictable, which is great. I mean, of course, the hero saves the day, but there’s a twist. Fun and unusual characters, creative settings where children don’t often get taken in books, plenty of gross-out humor, and a bit of mythology. I would love to see this on the shelf or even on the screen. I kept picturing Nightmare Before Christmas-ish animation. This book is definitely marketable to boys and girls, and I’ve read lots of agents’ blogs asking for literature for boys.
Now, I want to go back through my notes and make sure I meant every one of them. This is my first manuscript-long critique, so I’m really anxious to see what she expected compared to what I’m delivering.
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