Denial and Determination

Ok, so a friend of mine actually asked me where I'd been all week, because I haven't blogged.
Sorry!

I've been buried with day job minutia and have not been able to write.
What this does for me is two things, however:
1) Pisses me off
2) Makes me more determined

It pisses me off because though I LOVE my day job I, of course, would prefer to spend the majority of my time writing.  When I can't write due to writers block, personal catastrophe, household distractions, or sick kids, the first few days I tolerate, but if it lasts longer than three, I go a bit ballistic.

Tell me I CAN'T do something, and I'm that much more determined to do it.
So, thank you minutia.
Come next week, I expect to be quite busy writing.

Tell me 'no' and all it does is light a fire under my ass. Deny me what I want, and I'll find a way to take it anyway.
I'm a brat like that.
Well, sometimes.

The Desire for Focus...Look, a Squirrel!

I started the day with the absolute best if intentions.  I took my morning walk (don't be too impressed, it's only 2 miles of flat neighborhood hoofing), a shower, breakfast, and then sitting down to my trusty laptop to get some good ole' fashioned writing done.
Remember that? Writing?
It's what I'm supposed to be doing for a living!

Anyways, I'm at the computer not five minutes and the phone rings.
Silly me. I answer it.
One phone call leads to another phone call, which leads to some scheduling issues, which ultimately leads to my making a few more phone calls.

One hour later...

Okay, that issue is solved, now, back to my computer!

I'm at the computer for approximately ten minutes this time, just enough for me to read where I'd left off and start thinking about how the next scene should be played out when...

Text message.

Now, normally I'd ignore this, but a friend of mine is under the weather and it was her, so I took time out to text back and forth with her for a while, but we got interrupted by another phone call, and then suddenly I look up and it's another hour later.

Now, I'm getting a little frustrated with myself.
I'm like those silly dogs in the Pixar movie, "Up."
Squirrel!!

(SIDE NOTE: Dear Pixar,  Please stop making kid's movies that are so damned depressing.  I bawled through 'Up,' sobbed through the second half of 'Toy Story 3' - seriously Pixar, you need to find the fun again! Where are 'The incredibles'? No joke. Bring them back. They were, well, incredible!)

Squirrel!

Ok, so it's now late morning and I still haven't gotten any writing done when I realize I still haven't checked my work email yet this morning and BOOM - another hour later and it's lunch time.

Cold pizza and a Diet Coke.
The lunch of champions.

Now, it's 1 pm, and I go to sit down at my computer for a third, fourth or fifth time, I've lost track, and my doorbell rings.

Squirrel!

I think I need to go hide in a cabin in the middle of the wilderness in order to write this book because life will not LEAVE ME ALONE!!

Now, the sad thing is, I've just spent a good ten minutes writing this blog uninterrupted and the moment I post this and get back to "writing" the phone will ring, I'll get a text or an email, or the doorbell will go off again.

(SIDE NOTE: Dear Solicitors, I don't want solar panels, I don't want to hear about Jesus (know him already), I don't want to buy your magazine subscriptions, and I don't need cookies or candy bars, I'm plump enough all ready.)

Squirrel!

To Battle!

One of the funnest and not so fun parts of writing an epic fantasy novel are the battle scenes.  I love the little ones, small invasions by monsters, bah, those are easy.  But when you get into a large scale battle sequence, that takes place over several days, and requires a bit of strategic thinking, writing slows down to a crawl and I am forced to break it down, scene by scene, battle by battle, character by character.  In the beginning, little writing takes place, it's all map drawing, or in my case, map staring, chess pieces moving around, and notes, upon notes, upon notes.  All written in pencil, of course, because half the time I'll start one battle plan and realize there's a huge gaping flaw in my reasoning and I'll have to erase everything and start over.

I envy any writer who can just sit down, and work it out as they go, but alas, I am not one of those writers. I have to plan this far in advance and then work it into the story a piece at a time.

It's not as much fun as the actual writing, at least to me.
It's a little boring.
But, necessary.

So, I was immersed in battle plans today. No actual words were written, and I'm going to take a break from it for the rest of today to see if what I've got down will work when I look at it tomorrow.  In the meantime, I'm fighting battles in my brain.

Forgive me if I appear a little distracted.

What a Writer's Job Should Be

Every writer is different.
Every single one of us.

Some of us write better while exhausted and pumped full of caffeine in the middle of the night. (not me)
Some of us write better a little bit at a time throughout the course of the day. (Gail Carson Levine)
Some of us write in large mass dumps once or twice a week, or month.
Some of us write every day, for a scheduled allotment of pre-determined time.

Some of us are best at character development.
Some of us excel at plot.
Some of us write dialogue like it's real conversation.

We all write differently, and we all possess different strengths and weaknesses.

Then there is the Market.

Sometimes vampires are in. (Thank God not any more!)
Sometimes zombies are in.
Sometimes historical...
Fantasy...
Contemporary...
Blah, blah, blah.

People can guess where the Market will go next, but nobody knows for sure.
It's like the weather.
We make our best guess.

And because each of us writers are different, and work different ways, and the Market is flexible, and malleable, and never really going in any particular direction, writers should not, under any circumstances look at other writers and judge themselves by their success, and/or failures.

It's all who you know, what you've written and when, and where the Market is.  If you can get ALL THREE of these things aligned, it is still no guarantee that, a) your book will get agented, b) your book will be accepted for submission, c) that a publishing house will buy it.

So, when the writers at all these lovely writers conferences tell you, "Write what you love," and "Don't chase the market," and all the unpublished authors in the audience roll their eyes because that's exactly what we are trying to do, (we are trying to do both!)  - keep this in mind...

Just enjoy the writing.
If you love writing, and not actually SELLING, then you will be much happier.
Mind you, you still have to sell, sell, sell, promote, sell, and still find time to write.
But the love of writing should be what keeps you going.

Not the success.

But the writing.

Sometimes, it's easy to forget.

The Sisyphus Normal

Leave it to a heightened emotional state, and a grim determination, and I am back on track with "The Beast Reign."  Luckily for me, the first half of the first draft was in decent condition, save the opening scene, which I still may or may not continue to tweak.

Progress today indeed.
I am working my way through the draft in hopes of adding onto it when I reach the end of what was previously written.

I do love a good battle.

In the meantime, the quest for a YA editor unafraid of controversy (i.e. "The Line") continues.
Believe you me, I don't fault anyone who shies away from it.
It can be hard to take at times.
But, the one thing I will say (well, technically, the one thing I will write), is that with controversy, and perhaps, even books that are banned, comes notoriety and increased sales.
One can hope.

Patience, Young Skywalker.

No great thing can be achieved without a little push.  Or, sometimes a lot of pushing.

How to Get a Picture Book Published

I recently sent this email to a friend of mine who is looking to get a picture book published.  I don't think she'll mind if I post it here as well.

Here's the skinny:

You can go about this one of two ways.

Way 1:

1) Create a mock-up of your book, then make copies for submission (color if illustrated)

2) Find a literary agent

How?

Search the web for children's literary agencies (verify it's a legitimate agency on WritersBeware.com), scroll through their list of agents, find out which ones are accepting picture books, send them a letter or email (it's called a query) according to their specifications (every agent is different). 

Send letters & emails to as many agents as you can (I used to submit in packets of 10) because 99% of them will email or write back with a blanket 'no.'  It's a complete and utter craps shoot.  Eventually, after 100 or so letters, you will pass upon the agent who wants your type of book, with your type of story, and they will ask you to send them a mock-up of your book. Never send them the original!!!! You 

will not get it back, and you will not get your copy back either.  

They will write or email back and say yes or no.  Most will say no. Again, craps shoot.  But keep at it, eventually, you'll find the right agent for you. Never, ever, ever, EVER pay an agent any up-front fee. They should read it for free! No editing fee, no "copy" fee, nada, zip, zilch. They get paid after they sell your book, they take 15% of all sales.

3) Agent notes

The agent will have "notes" on the book (or, they won't have any) and it is 100% up to you if you think the changes they suggest help or hinder your book.

4) Submissions

The agent will submit your book to publishers. You will hear nothing for a long time. Call and check in with your agent at least once every few weeks so they remember you exist.  Technically, they work FOR YOU, so don't let them treat you like they are doing you a favor.

5) Publication

a) The publisher will make you an offer

b) Your agent will argue for you to get you the best deal

c) It will include an advance (anywhere from $1,000 on the low end, to $10,000 on the high end  for children's books). You will receive (standard deal) 10% of hardcover sales and 5% of paperback. For e-pub, it's a bit better, some traditional publishers offer a 25 to 30% royalty. 

d) The publisher will have notes on your manuscript.  These are harder to argue. Make the changes you feel are necessary, but you don't have to make them all.

e) The publisher makes the cover (you have no choice in the matter) - sometimes with picture books they'll use a piece of the art from inside, but that's not a guarantee.

f) The book will come out about nine months to a year after the deal closes (I know, terrible!) The publisher will give you a little marketing push, but after that you are on your own. That means, blog, tweet, FB, and reviews are almost all up to you.

Warning: You will not get rich selling only 1 children's book. You may be able to make a living if you publish 10.

Way 2:

1) Create mock-up and make copies

2) Research publisher submission guidelines

Some publishers will not accept "unsolicited" submissions (submissions they didn't ask for, or ones that did not come from an agent), but some will. This will take a bit of ground work to  see which ones you can submit to, and which ones are closed. If you find one that is open and accepting picture book submissions, write a query as per their specifications and wait for a response. 

3) If they accept your book you will have to negotiate your advance & contract by yourself 

(Personally, I do not recommend this! But I've known some authors who have.)

4) See #5 Above

Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

The reason I recommend the SCBWI is because they have periodic "seminars" and "conferences" where agents, editors from publishers, and other published authors give speeches and advice.  Some editors and agents will even accept submissions from attendees of these seminars, and it does carry clout among them if you write in your query you are an SCBWI member. Also, the SCBWI holds contests and if you win one of those, you also win submissions to agents and editors as well.

Hope this helps!

Slow Starts

After several weeks of internal debate, and numerous failed attempts, the opening scene and sequence to "The Beast Reign" has been rewritten (though I reserve the right to rewrite it again at a later time), and the flow of words from brain to fingertips has greatly improved.  Despite this,  I am still feeling unsure and a little sluggish when it comes to this draft.

And I understand why.  "The Beast Call" is written in what I would characterize, as "old world."  It's a fantasy tale from long ago, written in a British accent.  What does that mean?  It means, after writing a sequence and I read it aloud, I'm reading it with a British accent, and if it doesn't feel right, I change it to fit the accent, not the other way around.

It's a medieval story, in a world that resembles England (though, it's not), and it does take some getting used to.

I'm American through and through.

Personally, I rather miss the simplicity and straight-forwardness (is that a word?) of "The Line."  The narrator was matter-of-fact and to the point, and had a very distinct voice.  It was also written in first person, while "The Beast Reign" is in oldish English and written in third omniscient.

Where I used to be able to write 3rd omniscient with my eyes closed, and with no effort at all, I find myself struggling with it after having been consumed in 1st person for so long.

It happened to me the last time I worked on "The Beast Reign" earlier this year, and now it's happening again.

Never fear!  I will reclaim my 3rd omnicient English prose yet!
But I have a sneaking suspicion this draft isn't going to be finished by Christmas like I'd originally intended.

Oh well.
You can't rush genius!

OMG, I'm totally kidding about that.
You know that...Right?

I'm not a genius.

Just good with words.

Or, as it would say in "The Beast Reign" --
'She had a mildly adequate gift in the manipulation of words.'

Oey.

Uphill Boulder Pushing

Feeling a bit like Sisyphus today.
Wishing for a little bit of a miracle.
Hoping for a break in the push.

Onward.

Doomed

Going on my second week of writer's block.

This is really, really starting to piss me off...

...Back to the outline to try and kick up some dust.

"The Beast Call" Review at Book Briefs

Fantastic! Another positive review for "The Beast Call!"

Here's the link: http://bookbriefs.blogspot.com/2011/09/review-beast-call-by-anne-tibbets.html

Hop, Skip and a Jump Ahead

Despite my best efforts I am stuck on the re-write of "The Beast Reigns" first scene.

I'm going to skip over it and read the rest of the draft today and count on the fact that some of my best inspiration happens when I am not desperately searching for it.