Contest Season

There's Hollywood's awards season ...

And there's the music industry's awards season....

And then there's MY favorite season ... the one I get to be part of ... the online writing contest season. (Which, to be truthful, lasts for many months)

Image credit: Cat York

I just entered the first big one of the year: Sun vs. Snow - held by Amy Trueblood and Michelle Hauck.

Here's the deal (for those of you new to contests): Michelle and Amy accepted only the first 200 entries  (query and first 250) -- which all happened in a mind-blowing 6 minutes. Now they are reading the slush and picking their top choices. Next week their picks will go through a mentoring process. THEN -- the agent round!!

I also put my hat into another not-quite-contest but definitely an opportunity called Agent Match. (#AgentMatch). This one, offered by Samantha Fountain, is a chance for a long (!) list of fabulous agents to see your hook and query. If they're intrigued, they may ask for pages ... and who knows, maybe this will be the moment I meet my perfect agent match.

It's kind of nerve wracking but it's also lots of fun.

Fun partly because it's thrilling to get ready for the contest -- knowing I wanted to enter imposed a deadline and forced me to polish when I might otherwise have lollygagged.

But also partly because it pulls me out of my self-imposed social media silence (part of my discipline while I write) and plunges me back into the Twitterverse to talk to other writers. I get to be part of the community again -- which is a supportive, energizing experience.

The path to publication and being agented is daunting and can be very lonely. This online community makes it bearable. We encourage each other, we remind each other that we did a great thing: we WROTE A BOOK. And now we're PUTTING IT OUT THERE. 

I am nervous about this book -- I love it, but as always, I've got ALL the insecurities about whether I'll ever be a good writer. Being part of this contest helps me remember I'm not the only one with those worries.

Thanks again, Michelle, Amy, and Samantha for this terrific opportunity!

Anyone else sweating it out with me until Feb 2?

Holiday Query Blog Hop -- SPOOKY JANE

Another blog hop critiquing opportunity!! Once again, Michelle Hauck is sponsoring this terrific opportunity to give and get invaluable feedback.

Want to know how it works? Look here:

Here's my REVISED query -- looking forward to making it bright and shiny when I see all your feedback. 

Dear Brilliant Agent,

Twelve-year-old Ivy Jane is thrilled when her family stops moving around and settles in the Minnesota town where her close-knit clan of cousins lives. It’s nice to finally be around people who are like her – they’re a family with the unusual gift of being able to keep anything alive. But even more important is the chance to be in on the inside jokes instead of always the lonely outsider.

But immediately, things get spooky. People standing too close to Ivy suddenly feel sick and have bone-chilling hallucinations. She has walking blackouts where she takes on a different personality – but remembers nothing afterward. She hears voices in her head and because she acts so strange, they’re the only ones talking to her.    

Then the voices actually introduce themselves, which is when she learns she’s not crazy, just the unlucky gateway for some troubled family ghosts. They are the ones in control during Ivy’s blackouts, and through her, they’re growing stronger. But they’re also killing her. The only way to save herself will be to untangle her family’s power over life from its apparent connection to the spirit of death.  But to do that, she’ll need the help of her cousins, who are leery of being around her. Besides, they don’t believe in ghosts.

SPOOKY JANE is an in-progress Upper MG Paranormal. It echoes elements of television’s SLEEPY HOLLOW – written for a younger crowd – and the themes of haunting and family in Mary Downing Hahn’s ALL THE LOVELY BAD ONES. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.

First Page Critique Blog Hop -- SPOOKY JANE

Michelle Hauck is hosting a fun blog hop -- a chance for some feedback on your ever-critical first page. Here's more about it.

Here's mine -- looking forward to your thoughts!!


REVISED:


Upper MG Paranormal 



The day after her grandmother died, twelve-year old Ivy Jane sat alone in the back yard breathing in the unexpected lilacs. They never bloomed in late August.

She shifted slightly on the thick carpet of grass, the muscles in her legs humming slightly from the faint pulse of energy beneath her. Leftover tears thrummed against her throat.

“Dude, you trying to get a suntan or something?”

Ivy opened her eyes and then rolled them theatrically at her once-favorite cousin, now casting his Q-tip shaped shadow over them both.

“Ha ha. Yeah. Cause I need one so bad. And since when did you start calling people ‘dude’?”

“Since I hardly ever see you, I guess there’s lots you don’t know about me anymore.”

“What do you mean, ‘hardly ever see you.’ Wasn’t I with you yesterday?”

“You know what I mean.”

She knew. And Hunter was right. He – and all the rest of her cousins – had changed a lot in the years since she’d last visited, thought Ivy sadly. “I didn’t hear you arrive. Did you walk?”

“Yeah. Sort of. Mom dropped me off at the end of the driveway. She had an errand to run for the open house tomorrow. She said she’d be back to pick up Aunt Eliza so they can go to the funeral home to arrange the service.”

Ivy blanched and kept her eyes on the grass, her right hand absently fingering imaginary piano keys on her thigh.

Query First, Please

It's true.
Writing your query first really is the best way to write a book.

For those who call themselves "pantsers", meaning "fly by the seat of your pants", the query may be the LAST thing you write -- because, well, pants.

Looks so lovely and carefree and spontaneous, no? And I love to be all those things, because, well, creativity.

BUT.

What if, in your splendid creative writing surges, you NEVER narrowed your vision of the actual plot because you were so excited by all the action scenes you were coming up with?
Or if you CAN'T ACTUALLY ARTICULATE your character's motivation?

My first book, which I love and am determined to publish one fine day, had those problems and more.

It wasn't exactly a pants book per say -- I'm a plotter. But, because first book and all, I didn't really know what I was doing. I was consumed by the story, by the relationships I was building, by the excitement of writing the thing.

But when query time came, I was lost. Drowning.

Partly because I didn't know how to write the dang thing, had never even heard of one when I began writing the book. But also partly because I didn't really understand the point of my book.

Now -- as a public speaking coach I have always told my students that they need to be able to summarize their speech in one or two lines -- if they can't, they really don't know what they're trying to accomplish and neither will their audience. Which means their presentations are doomed to aimless meandering in the desert. Yes, I've said that in my more dramatic moments.

I have sent students back to the drawing board a million times to distill and understand the essence of their words so they can be pithy and brilliant.

But alas, I listened not to my own advice. I couldn't give an "elevator speech" about my own book.

Lesson learned. Write the dang query first. Figure out what your character is trying to overcome, what the second plot point is, what the catalyst is, and why we care.

And lest we forget and begin to meander in query desert, it really only comes down to this:
Character, Conflict, Stakes.

Here are some terrific resources for helping you nail it:

QUERY HELP RESOURCES 

1)  www.michelle4laughs.blogspot.com
 Michelle Hauck (@michelle4laughs) has a semi-regular feature called Query Questions, which features different agents talking about what does and doesn't work in a query. Nice resource because you can also research agents while you iron out the query kinks!

2) chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com:
Amy Trueblood's blog features a weekly post called Quite the Query. Go read successful queries that landed agents - very helpful to see how others do it! (@atrueblood5)

3) literaticat.tumblr.com
Andrea Brown agent Jennifer Laughran (@literaticat) has an Ask Me Anything section on her Tumblr. She answers questions quickly and forthrightly.

Another Laughran resource is her blog, which frequently addresses query questions/issues:
www.literaticat.blogspot.com

4) Plus there's the master of them all, Query Shark, written by uber agent Janet Reid:
queryshark.blogspot.com
All you have to do is read the blog to figure out what you're doing wrong, but if you're brave, you can submit yours to see if she's willing to critique yours. She's tough, but that's what you need, right?

5) Finally -- an excellent workshopping option and the way I finally got really valuable feedback on that first disastrous query:
The Become an Agent contest.
@SC_Author features it semi-regularly -- next one is probably in January. Agents don't participate -- it's just a terrific chance for writers to pitch in and help each other figure out what does and doesn't work.

Check out his blog:
scwrite.blogspot.com


What do you think? Do you write your query first?

Blog Hop - My Writing Process

 
I'd like to thank Michelle Hauck, prolific blogger, contest runner (she's running a mini contest right now!), and newsletter writer, for inviting me to join this blog hop. Check out her post here:

Michelle is also the author of Kindar's Cure, and a contributor to the anthologies Winter's Regret and Summer's Double Edge.

 



For those new to the blog hop, the idea is this: Each contributor to the hop will answer 4 questions about #mywritingprocess, then invite 3 more bloggers to contribute. Learning about how others work is interesting and also a source of new inspiration and ideas.

SO, here's my writing process:

1) What Am I Working On?
I'm editing two manuscripts - one which has been complete for about 8 months but has gone through 3 very dramatic rewrites, and another which is in its first draft revision stage. The first is EXQUISITE SENSES, a YA Thriller with light sci-fi elements. Leila and Dane learn they have extra sensory talents just as they're launched on a cross-continental rescue mission after Dane's mother. They battle old family enemies and their own personal demons in order to save all of their lives.
The second is an MG Adventure with light sci-fi, untitled, about a young boy who gets bionic legs when his own are amputated.

2) How Does My Work  Differ From Others of its Genre?
I have yet to read about stem cell biology as a source for plot in YA speculative fiction. It's a fascinating subject, ripe with ideas. I love the process of taking very real science and asking the question what if? The concepts I write about are so close to being reality they're really only a decade or less away - so my work could possibly be contemporary before long!

3) Why Do I Write What I Do?
As a kid, one of my favorite authors (among many) was Madeleine L'Engle - spec fiction writer extraordinaire. So I guess one of the reasons I write what I do is because I loved reading her work and then dreaming about it endlessly. I couldn't get enough. Now I want to write like her. 
Later, ironically, although I dutifully studied Bio, Physics, and Chemistry in high school, none of those classes caught my attention - I basically just showed up, had no passion. But now, I am back to my younger self - completely fascinated by cellular and molecular biology and quantum physics. I'm in love with the process of taking a theoretical concept and throwing it off a cliff, adding people and narrative as it flies.

4) How Does Your Writing Process Work?
My writing process reflects the fact that I have two young children!  I write when I can - before my children wake up, when my toddler is napping, after my children go to sleep. My amazing husband often takes over on the weekends so I can string together a few more hours in the day to really dig in.
Usually I muse about a book subject for a little while, then outline it, then let it marinate until I can't stand it anymore and I have to start writing it down. I take notes everywhere - spare pieces of paper, on my iPhone. I try to keep them consolidated, and try to do a streamlined recap every now and then, as new ideas alter the flow or fix plot holes. Because I cut my writing teeth as a reporter, I write quickly - used to crushing deadlines!! But I am still new at creating novels, so I edit pretty deeply.
I also have to plot my characters and their arcs by hand - somehow I think better for my people when I write them longhand before I type them.

Now I get to invite three other bloggers to hop on!

NEXT WEEK:

Rebecca Waddell:

By day, Rebecca works for the beautiful county of San Luis Obispo, but writing is her true passion. Between working on her middle grade and young adult novels, she enjoys dabbling in short stories and poetry. Her motto is: "If I don't write, untold numbers of fictional characters will die!

She writes a poetry blog that is well worth your time: www.ReflectionOfFaith.wordpress.com

Follow her on Twitter: @GloWolf143

Kathryn Howes:
Kathryn is a writer, mother, blogger, former physical therapist, and guinea pig groomer, among many other things. She writes a hilarious blog about mothering, raising readers, and writing.

Here's where you can find her: http://www.kateywrites.wordpress.com
 Follow her on Twitter: @kateywrites

Lea Dickson:

Born and raised in a small, Scottish village, Lea had no plans to drastically change her life. Then at twenty-two, she married her high school sweetheart, graduated from college, and moved to Texas where she decided some kids were needed to complete the madness!

She loves MG and YA and hope to one day join some of her favourites on the bookshelf.

Here's where you can find her: cobalt714.wordpress.com

Follow her on Twitter: @cobalt714

Pitch Critique - Michelle Hauck

Michelle Hauck is with us today - yay!

For those of you don't, you should go follow her on Twitter: @Michelle4laughs. She was the "Snow" half of the "Sun vs Snow" contest last month - a terrific contest that resulted in many requests!! She also hosts Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street.

She's a great writer and gives really smart, targeted feedback - I know because I've had the benefit of her critiques!!!


So - get your pitches in! First 10 get critiqued. For those of you getting ready for #PitchMadness, remember your pitches need to be 35 words - that's a little different from the traditional pitch party of 140 words.

After Michelle is finished with her round, feel free to comment as well. The more the merrier!

Here's how this works:

1) Post your pitch in the comments section.  Tell us your genre: YA, MG, or NA. And for reference, tell us your ms title.
2) The first 10 to post will get a critique from Michelle. As I said, after she leaves feedback, I hope others will leave feedback as well - the more the merrier.
3) Use the "reply" button to do this rather than making a new comment - I am hoping that will help us keep the feedback organized and easy to follow. Just to be sure, reference the ms title you're critiquing to minimize potential for mix up!
3) As always, please keep your feedback constructive, not mean.

For those of you polishing pitches for #PitchMadness Clue Edition hosted by Brenda Drake, Sharon Johnston, Summer Heacock, and Rebecca Weston, the contest rules and info are HERE .

Guest Critiquers Announcement

Getting ready for #PitchMadness?
Planning to be part of the next Twitter pitch party?
Think you might sign up for an agent pitch session at the next conference you attend?

Don't wait until the last minute to get your pitch in order. There's always a good reason to have a good pitch for each ms you're querying.  I even think it's a good idea to have a working pitch for WiPs -- keeps you focused.

I'm excited to tell you that for 3 days this week, we'll have the benefit of some amazing guest critiquers looking at our pitches.
Each guest will critique 10 Pitches - the first 10 to post on his or her day.



Wednesday: @SC Author
Thursday: Amy Trueblood (@atrueblood5)
Saturday: Michelle Hauck (@Michelle4Laughs)

Here's how this works:

1) Post your pitch in the comments section.  Tell us your genre: YA, MG, or NA. And for reference, tell us your ms title.
2) The first 10 to post will get a critique from the guest critiquer of the day. After our guest leaves feedback, I hope others will leave feedback as well - the more the merrier.
3) Use the "reply" button to do this rather than making a new comment - I am hoping that will help us keep the feedback organized and easy to follow. Just to be sure, reference the ms title you're critiquing to minimize potential for mixup!
3) As always, please keep your feedback constructive, not mean.

Wednesday Critiques begin at 11am EST. Not before.


For those of you specifically prepping for the upcoming #PitchMadness Clue Edition hosted by Brenda Drake, Sharon Johnston, Summer Heacock, and Rebecca Weston, the contest rules and info are HERE .

See you soon!