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?

The Query Contest

I've been calling it the #querytrenchblues because the query process feels intimidating and sometimes a little dark. It can be a brain-melting loop of edits to sharpen and shine your ms, especially the first 10, along with endless attempts to encapsulate your brilliant novel in that one-page-come-hither flirtatious wink that is the query letter.

Of course, there comes a time when you have to just swallow hard and submit. Whether you're offering up the 4th or 5th or 20th revision, the act of hitting "send" feels like mustering the courage to fall in love again after your heart's been broken.

And this is why query contests rock -- because there's so much support here to help you find the courage to try again and - bonus! - provide crowd-sourced wisdom to help you make this next effort the one that will work.

A month ago, I never thought I would enter any contests because I felt nervous about sharing my work - even a query - with such a big group of people. I mean, betas, definitely, CP's, yes! But the WHOLE TWITTERVERSE???? Then I dipped my toe into  #Pitmad and discovered something wonderful. The online writing community and the amazing authors who host these contests are SO GREAT!!!!

I come from a gloves-off, casual-cruelty-is-the-norm business, so this kind of earnest, sincere support actually, literally brings tears of relief to my eyes. It's so civilized here in this world!! #Happy.

So for those of you still on the fence about trying one, like I was,  I wanted to tell you, go! go! go! Try one!! To make my point more elegantly, I am thrilled to share with you some comments from the hosts of #sunvssnow, Michelle Hauck and Amy Trueblood.

 Heather: How did Sun vs Snow come about?  

Michelle: 
I couldn't help noticing the contrast between the weather where I live in Indiana and the warmth of my friend Amy Trueblood's area of the country, Arizona. I wanted to do something to liven up the bleh of winter and a query contest taking advantage of the different winter weathers seemed perfect! Agents said yes and the rest is history.  :-)

Amy:

The contest is actually the brain child of Michelle Hauck. She approached me in late October, 2013 and asked if I'd be interested in hosting a contest with her. Michelle and I have known each other for a while and I respected what she did with both Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street, so agreeing to host was a "no-brainer" for me!

 

Heather: What are the benefits of participating in Sun vs Snow or any of the other query contests out there?

Michelle:

Querying is a daunting business. I mean even successful querying results in 80 percent rejection. Besides the expected benefit of getting some writers requests from agents, anything to add fun to the grim business is very welcome to my mind. Plus, contests help create a sense of writing community by bringing people together. That's a benefit that can last long after the contest is over. And Sun versus Snow in particular has the advantage of mentors helping writers improve their queries and first pages for the long haul.

Amy:

There are three benefits I think:

1) Getting great feedback from seasoned writers who can help you refine your work.

2) Networking within the writing community. Before Michelle and I even put up the submission details, there was already a group swapping queries and pages and working on their entries together. It's really cool to get to bring people together like that!

3) Getting the opportunity to stand apart from the slush pile which can be very helpful!

 Heather: What was the best  "learning moment"  for you that came out of this contest? 

Michelle:

There are always learning moments. Reading so many queries (212 this time) certainly teaches me what works and what doesn't stand out so much in a query and first page. It also gives me a taste of what agents experience on a daily basis and gives me that much more respect for them. 

Amy:

First, I love this question. Second, I think that all work is subjective. One person may LOVE your work, while another may not be so enthused. The key is to look at the feedback as a whole and decide what makes the most sense for your characters and plot.

 

Heather: Is there a "season" for query contests, or are they held year round?

Michelle:

They've pretty much become year round. I try to space mine out in order to draw new material with each contest.  I co-host Query Kombat in May/June, Nightmare on Query Street in October, and now Sun versus Snow in January/February

Amy:

I'd say most contests are year round. And there are some great ones out there:

PitchWars

Cupid's Blind Speed Dating

Writer's Voice

Pitchmas

Just to name a few.

 Heather: Any quick bits of advice for aspiring writers?  

Michelle:

Don't be afraid to try things out of your comfort zone. Don't hesitate to interact with your fellow writers and form friendships that will help you forever. Never quit.

Amy:

Don't send out your work until you've had it vetted by other writers in your category and genre. Another set of eyes can help you see where your plot is failing or where your voice is inconsistent. Nothing can replace having a great stable of beta readers and critique partners to help you polish your work.

Heather: Last question - do you plan to publish the "Alternates" that didn't make the teams?  

Michelle:

Actually Amy and I have permission from our two alternates to post their queries right after Sun versus Snow ends. Which opens a Critique Workshop opportunity for anyone who entered Sun versus Snow. They can comment with feedback on the alternates' posts and in return I'll post as many of their entries as I can manage. The success of the Critique Workshop will really depend on writers leaving feedback for each other. I'm sure I can depend on that. I've found that writers love to help other writers! 

Amy:

Yes. At the conclusion of the contest, Michelle and I are going to post our alternates and work with them on feedback.

Thanks so much, Michelle and Amy, for your time and for paying it forward by sharing your expertise with the rest of the community.

If you participated in #SunvsSnow and want to take part in the Critique Workshop, keep following the Twitter hashtag #sunvvssnow.

To get some great advice on what does and doesn't work in a query, I really recommend you read through the queries that have been mentored and are now being critiqued by agents on both Michelle's (#TeamSnow) and Amy's blogs (#TeamSun). And even if you're burned out on queries for now, read the blogs anyway. They each feature helpful agent and author interviews plus other great writerly thoughts.

Michelle: www.Michelle4Laughs.blogspot.com 

Amy: www.chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com 

 Also note that the ubiquitous Michelle is a Bouncer on the Cupid's Blind Speed Dating Contest, which is open for entries until tonight!

Good luck, everyone, and as always, 

Be Brilliant.

 

New Query

No surprise here, the exercise of peeling back my ms to 140 characters was GOOD. I mean, so good, that the Tweets I wrote revealed with painful clarity just how terrible my query letter was. I mean, rancid. UGH. Because it reflected NOT ENOUGH of my book's conflict and only hinted at the catalyzing event.

I was being coy. And it was getting me nowhere. I haven't queried that much, but clearly the letters haven't set anyone's world on fire, so what I was doing wasn't working.

Argh. I want it to be perfect NOW. *Sweats*  Impatient much? Yah. Always. Anyway, I took a hatchet to it, rewrote the thing, and now it's shiny & new. I actually feel cautiously optimistic. I've sent it to one agent (crossing fingers) and am also getting ready for #sunvssnow.

Query Shark is a beautiful thing, by the way: http://queryshark.blogspot.com.
She's brutal, but it's all so very, very good. I made a few very important changes based on critiques of other queries from this blog, which is exactly what Janet Reid (the shark) intends. She's not interested in seeing your query for critique unless you've read her entire archive - hoping that many will answer their own questions just by reading how others have made the same mistakes.

Another great post on writing a good query: http://natashaneagle.com/tag/query-formula

I think we all  feel frustrated on occasion about the difficulty of writing a good query.
If AgentQ could see past my terrible query, he/she would discover my amazing ms!!

But of course, that's not true. Not at all. The thing about the query is, it really does reflect your writing talent. Because if you can clearly, concisely capture your plot, conflict, and characters, you're in command of your work. And your words. And if you can sell it, you're a good candidate for the partnership that is agent-author.

One more note, a bit of irony for me. In my years as a reporter, one of the things that used to set my teeth on edge about the process of moving from job to job in the tv news biz was that in spite of the quality of my work, the job offers usually came down to whether the news director like my presence. My personality. My FACE. I worked simultaneously on being smart, talented, connected, and photogenic, and that always felt a little wrong.

Now as I reinvent myself in this new career, I am judged ONLY by the content of my writing and it's very unsettling. Because I keep thinking, If AgentA could see how nice I am, how personable -- maybe he/she might like my ms!!!

Change is good. Sigh. *Laughs self-deprecatingly*
Wish me luck with the new letter!

Sun VS Snow

So here's something I have read about but haven't tried yet: the query contest.

Winners of the contest will have an opportunity to have their queries and first pages critiqued by agents and mentor writers.

The one I'm eyeing: Sun VS Snow. It's a great concept: enter to win, and you get a solid critique without burning a submission, plus, (obviously!) you get the feedback you so often DON'T get with all those (sigh) rejections.

How To Enter:

http://chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com/2014-sun-vs-snow-query-contest/

Amy Trueblood is the "Sun" half of the authors who are hosting this contest. She's a freelance author "chasing the crazy" (amen!) dream of getting published. She lives in Arizona. (Like me!)

AND:

http://michelle4laughs.blogspot.com/

The other half of the contest - snow - is Michelle Hauck, whose epic fantasy KINDAR'S CURE is published by Divertir Publishing, and who also co-hosts these query contests:  Query Kombat and Nightmare on Query Street.

Good luck everyone!!

Trying Too Hard

I really truly do not want to sound like an old fart. But Miley? On last night's American Music Awards?

 Trying WAY too hard. Way too hard.

I get the imagery, symbolism, all the other attempts at artistic representation. The other words for "cat", the fact that it sticks out its tongue, the message she's trying to send to the "establishment", all of it.

But.

Seriously. If you have to go to such extreme lengths to make a point or get attention, isn't something off?  

I know, I've already Tweeted and Facebooked this, but I figured I'd make the trifecta with a post since I've neglected the blog so long.

What I was thinking as I watched the winking Universe kitty was, first of all, the song itself (Wrecking Ball) is decent and fun, sort of anthem-y, and Miley's voice is so strong, why did she want to distract from that power she held all by herself?

And I was also thinking, this is exactly the problem I am having with the first line of my WIP.

I am trying too hard.

But I feel driven, because my first line is really humdrum. I mean, REALLY. The definition of "meh".
And I just haven't been able to come up with anything better.
And I want to send out a new query.
So last week, I took a terrific query writing Webinar (WD : Beyond the Query, with Jennifer Laughran, whose blog is linked on my sidebar) and got some great advice for query writing. So THIS week, armed with a freshly edited query letter and some new (good, I think) edits on the first 10 pages, I am back in the first line trenches.
Argh.

But it's still just dogging me, and I write a new one a day, which a little crazy. (!!!).

Maybe I just need to let it sit, marinate, and stop trying to wink at the universe.  
Yah, right.
I'm too hyper to meditate on it for long, but Miley does give me pause (paws) .....  (sorry, couldn't help it)

NANOWRIMO

Kudos and salutations to all you brave people doing #NaNoWriMo right now.

I'm writing about it today because I'm new to this concept, as I am to most other things in this writerly world. So to learn more about it, I've been following Twitter to see what people are doing and what they are saying about what they are doing.

(For those who are where I was a few weeks ago: it means National Novel Writing Month. The deal is, you sign up, you agree to write at least 50K words toward a novel, and you get to "track" your word count every day plus chat online with everyone else doing it, plus take advantage of lots of encouraging advice and online help, plus weed through a lot of vendors who want to "help".)

And what I have learned is that I envy anyone who can take the time to set and work toward those amazing goals. Whether it's because they have no kids or no spouse or perhaps an amazingly helpful/understanding spouse who will care for the kids, or grown kids or flexible work hours or no work hours at all or whatever. Because that's what it takes to be able to set and live up to those goals, and again, I say, HOW GREAT!!

I mean that - I am not being snarky. Those who know me know that I am not a snarky person, for the most part. I mean, I do have my moments... but mostly I am kind of Polyanna (don't judge) about the whole thing and I say, let everyone who can, do. And bravo to them for doing.

But I am also just going to say, as an example of another way of doing things, that I set very fluid goals. My goals are based on completing scenes and certain developments within a certain time frame, rather than word count. Because let's be real, if I set specific word count goals, I will:

1) stress too much about the word count and then forget to hug my kids,

2) stress too much about the word count and then forget to feed my family,

3) stress too much about the word count and then be too stressed.

So #NaNoWriMo just doesn't work for me, practically or conceptually.

I'm the first to admit, I'm lucky. I don't do this for a living, I do this because I simply can't get through the day without telling more of the story. My actual ability to sleep at night is dependent on whether I got it out of my head onto paper. (OK, well, onto the computer. Showing my age here.) My WIP is a set of stories I can't keep inside anymore, and so I write. 

And I care for my children all day.

And I manage my home.

And I work on course design, etc. whenever I need to for my paying gig. (Graduate School USA)

And, I really want to be a writer. I mean a real one. You know, the kind with an agent and a pub date and cover art.

(No, I am not a privileged, moneyed Mommy who doesn't have to work and so I while away the long empty hours piddling away at a book. (NO MOMMY WARS ALLOWED HERE)

I am an at-home Mommy by choice who left a lucrative career in tv news where I had the same affliction -- I simply couldn't get through the day without telling the story as best I could.)

But I digress.

For those of you who can't or have chosen not to do NaNoWriMo, please do not stress. Do not use it as the litmus test for how real an author you are or how dedicated you are to your WIP.

If you're so moved, be glad for the success of those who are in the throes and enjoying the camaraderie right now, but PLEASE do not worry that you do not have the chops to be a good writer or won't ever finish your novel just because you can't find the GIANT BLOCK OF TIME you need to do this thing.

Push yourself, to be sure. I mean, REALLY push yourself to write. (And edit, edit, edit, revise, revise, revise) You can't do it if you don't have the fire in the belly, even on the days when you don't. 
But also: write what you can when you can, set the kind of goals you can live with, and - 

Be brilliant.

Writerly Tip #6: Prune Them and They Will Grow

Too true.
At the very beginning of my querying process, an agent told me my ms was too long. I had to cut at least 40-thousand words. 
It hurt, hurt, hurt, but the truth was, (And I secretly knew this) the cutting was a healthy, good thing. 
What she told me was, cut the first 50 pages. You probably don't need them. Actually, what she said was, you the author needed to write those first 50 pages because they helped you get to know your characters and their backstory. But the book itself, the story itself, really doesn't need them.
And of course she was right.
I cut the first 50 pages, bleeding profusely as I did, and discovered a better book within.
I love what Whedon says because it reminds me of the wisdom of the First 50 Pages rule. Plus, he's right.
I've done that before too - when I found myself looped endlessly in a scene trying to make it make sense, I finally cut it and tried something different.
Tada!!!!!!!
For those of you who garden, this analogy may work: prune them and they will grow.
Thanks to Buzzfeed for the list of 24 quotes from famous writers from whence this quote (and the inspiration for this post) comes.'

Writerly Tip #4: Write it Anyway

For a while, it was vampires, werewolves, angels, and zombies. And dystopia and paranormal. And dystopia. And vampires. Have I said vampires and dystopia yet?

But as always happens, literary agents for YA fiction began to sense a weariness in the publishers. So now, much is being made lately of the new trend in agent wishlists: contemporary YA fiction. Like THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, reviewed on this blog.

Where does that leave those of us would-be YA authors who do not have a contemporary novel burning in our imaginations or evolving on our computers?

Exactly where we are now.

The fact that agents are looking for fresh contemporary does not mean you should shelve your project. If it's good, they'll buy it. If it's good, and it catches their attention, which is a whole other subject, as you all well know. (Sweat pours off the brows of those of you thick in the querying process)

Listen, I'm not an agent, so I can't say I'm speaking from the horse's mouth or anything. But - like you - I read a lot of agent blogs and articles about what they want and what I am seeing is, they still just mostly want good writing. That's all any of us really want, right?
I mean, of course, they sense the trends and they are staying on top of those trends because that's their job, and we're grateful for the fact that they have their fingers in the wind.

But does this new trend mean you must now change your novel midstream? Should you shelve a great idea that burned in your soul for months before you finally decided to turn it into a book? 

No, I honestly don't think so. What I think is, Write the Book. And as I said before and of course it's a no-brainer (but not easy to accomplish), MAKE IT GOOD.
And they will come. I think.

Please note, I'm not encouraging you to buck the trend. Trends are important to pay attention to if you want to get published. But I am saying, if you're already writing, don't give up. It's not like the appetite for all the other stuff has completely disappeared.

(Well, maybe vampires really are played out. Except for the fact the The Vampire Diaries is like, the number one show on CW)

So there's that.

Anyway, I say, just finish writing the thing. If it's good, (sometimes even if it's not) people will read/watch it.  They just do - the genre never really seems to disappear completely.  Especially if there's a romance angle. (Again - Vampire Diaries. And Walking Dead, although the latter isn't YA)

 Anyone out there struggling with the fear that your ms is out of step with the current trends?