Friday funnies - July 19

And another from Simon's cat - do check out their site: www.simonscat.com

And the always hilarious: Convos with my 2 year-old daughter.

Have a great weekend!

Revising the revision

Last week, I got a long list of notes from my agent re: my recent MS revision. Like, 20 pages. Of notes.
It was awesome (and also a wee bit embarrassing that she had to do that! *red face*)
Her suggestions and questions were just what I needed to go through the plot and extract all those pesky rabbit holes, unnecessary words and characters.
And I came up with a quick test to see how well the resulting chapters held together.

A chapter table.

This is not a revolutionary idea. I think Save The Cat asks writers to do something similar. A table makes it really easy to see which chapters are pulling their weight and which ones are holes.

Here's how mine worked: I created a table with a column for each chapter's synopsis. Then I indicated which part of the synopsis moved which part of the plots along.

love interest
main plot
subplot/red herring

Chapter 12:  Carrie and Grant kiss, they discover the magic portal, the elven king is there first


Every chapter should include at least one element -  the main plotline if nothing else - and preferably two elements. Chapters without any plot movement must be examined carefully. Can they be removed/shortened/edited to include a plotline? This method also allows a quick check of the main plot's timing: are all the clues in order? Is there a lot of main plot bold leading up to the climax? Did any thread of subplot go unresolved?

This is also an easy way to stay organized if you have CPs or betas because they, too, can refer to your chapter table rather than giving intext comments. It's a way to give feedback on the overall flow/pacing.

What are some ways you make sure your revisions are on track?

Meradeth Houston and Colors Like Memories

Meradeth's first book is OUT! Yay!! And she's hopping around the blogosphere this month telling as many people as she can. This lady is organized - her bio, photo and links are below her helpful post on revision. Questions for her? Post them in the comments.

Her blurb: Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of. 

Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.

Revision Time!

Thanks so much for hosting me, Melodie! And before I forget, I have a contest running for my blog tour—all commentors are entered into a drawing for two copies of my book, and one person will win a $25 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble. There are more details on my home blog, if you want to check it out!

Okay, so today I thought I’d talk a little bit about revisions of a different sort: the kind you get from an editor, once you’ve sold your book and all that fun stuff :) Do keep in mind that every house, and every editor, has a different method, but before I went into this process I wasn’t totally sure what to expect, so maybe shedding a little light on the subject might help!

MuseItUp is a small ebook house, and when they acquired my book I was assigned an editor (bigger houses will have an acquiring editor). This is the person who’s going to go through your book and beat it into shape. I’ll admit, I was totally nervous when I was sent my first round of revisions—I’d edited Colors Like Memories to within an inch of its life on my own and through my critique group. But what would a professional editor have to say? Well, it turns out, LOTS. There were comments on my commas (which I swear I’ll never fully master), tenses (how did I manage to screw that up?), and mostly on overall things (like, how can this person have kids? Can I build this scene up more? I’m jumping heads in certain places—stuff like that).

My number one piece of advice for dealing with all of this is learn how to use track-changes in MS Word. If you don’t already know all the tips and tricks to this awesome tool, I highly recommend becoming an expert. There are bunches of tutorials online, and the best practice is using it yourself. It’s fun, if a little frustrating at first, and wow does it make things easier!

I went through each of the comments my editor made and created a Plan of Attack. It wasn’t possible to do everything at once, and I would have been massively overwhelmed if I’d tried. So I broke it down into smaller chunks, and this proved to be super useful to me. Everyone works differently, but I’d recommend making a similar list if you’re facing lots of revisions. A check-off box is also highly motivational—there’s nothing better than getting to mark something as Done!

Once done with everything that had been suggested, I sent my revisions back. This is where I got nervous again—what if she didn’t like what I’d done? I’d made a few other small changes on my own, and I worried that she would think they were rubbish. (Okay, clearly I worry a lot!) Anyhow, it was fine. But I did get another copy of my book back, with more revisions to make. This is normal, or so I’m told :) Don’t expect to have everything done in one round. Mentally, this also makes things easier, I think, because you don’t have to stress out so much on that first round.

Anyhow, after two rounds, my book was declared ready for copy-edits. That’s a whole other story… But hopefully this is helpful if you’re wondering what to expect from your editor, and looking to start some revisions on your own work!

Inquiring minds want to know: do you use track-changes? What’s your favorite aspect of it?

A bit about Meradeth Houston:

Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:

She’s a Northern California girl. This generally means she talks too fast and use "like" a lot.

When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!

She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work!

If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.

http://www.meradethhouston.com/

meradethhouston.blogspot.com

https://twitter.com/#!/MeradethHouston

www.goodreads.com/book/show/13030422-colors-like-memories

http://www.facebook.com/ColorsLikeMemories

http://pinterest.com/merbear95695/

Best Rejection Stories

My agent and I have been on submission for just over a month. She sent out to a fab list of editors while I braced myself for Rejection Highway. Because let's face it, life has said No to me way more often than Yes.

Last week, Tricia forwarded an Almost-Email. A Big House editor had some positive things to say about my submission. He loved the writing, the atmosphere, the whole premise of the story. He'd sat on the MS for a while mulling it over before finally deciding to pass. The parts he loved the most were the ones I'd tackled in revisions. I was still stressed over those bits, wondering if they went too far or gave a false start to the tone of the story. Learning that this editor had a favorable response was a huge relief. 

This was very exciting to both Tricia and me because it proved - at least as far as one reader was concerned - that our gut instincts about the weak areas in the MS were correct. In a weird way, this rejection was a huge boost to my writerly confidence.

I asked a few other writers if they'd had similar experiences. Here's what Jolene Perry had to say:

 I'd queried Victoria Marini with a YA paranormal called Insight. She read the beginning twice, and said that she couldn't put her finger on it, but it still didn't work. HOWEVER, she'd be happy to read anything else I had.
When I completed my first YA contemporary, I sent it to her and immediately got a request for a full (she doesn't rep much contemp, if any). She kept my manuscript for a full eight weeks and when she got back to me it was still a no, but her letter totally propelled me forward. She said she saw huge growth in my writing and loved the voice. She said she knew it would find a home somewhere, and that after reading it, she sat on the manuscript for three weeks, unsure of what to do.
For me, deep in the query trenches, I first saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I still keep her letter. I wrote her when I did sign to thank her, and she wrote back right away.
It was the first time that I truly understood that placing a manuscript with an agent or an editor is all about right person, right place, AND the right time (once your MS is truly ready).

Do you have a best rejection story - one that really helped you along the writing road? Share it in the comments!

P is for: Purple prose

 His smile was a ghastly grimace. As wretched tears rolled down her trembling cheeks, she wondered if she'd ever see the light of day again. The knife blade was only inches from her pearly white throat. He laughed a maniacal laugh, his teeth tiny points of malice.


Oy. That was disturbingly easy to write. Those sentences are littered with adjectives/adverbs that are another form of telling. We get carried away by our own awesomeness, by the idea we can paint a picture with words instead of what isn't said. Let me say that again: what ISN'T said. The most effective writing is one that gives the reader enough info to populate his/her own imagination. It's a fine line and one that can years to perfect.
 Let's see if I can demo this right off the cuff:
He grimaced so she saw his pointed teeth. Tears snaked down her cheeks, hot trails of fear fueled by the knife at her neck.

Far fewer words, yet a much bigger impace on the reader. Or so I hope. You'll have to tell ME which is better. (This is a subjective business, no?)

Now you try. :)

O is for: olfactory

A while ago while we were trying to sell our first house, our realtor told us to bake some bread or cookies before an open house or a showing. The smell, she told us, would make potential buyers feel good and possibly help them remember our place.

At the time, we lived in the town where Malt-O-Meal is made. Depending on the factory's baking schedule, I'd walk outside and smell chocolate crispies or sugary flakes or (my favorite) chocolate chip cookies. I'd breathe in and taste cereal. To this day, every time I take a bite of one of their cereals, I remember what it was like to live there.

Scents are powerful. Studies tell us that my experience is one we all have, and even museums are starting to use that fact to their advantage. (Go here for more info on the science behind smells.) A museum in York, England, now floods their Viking-era village with the scent of manure and rot so visitors are literally immersed in what life was like back then. Scents allow us to experience new things with all five of our senses.

My WIP right now is set in Alaska at a dog kennel of a young musher whose mother is running the Iditarod. The first time I ever watched the start of a dog mushing race, I was completely surprised by all the poop. I shouldn't have been - dogs poop, and a lot of them poop a lot - but my sanitized expectations didn't consider reality. Of course, it's cold out on a frozen, mostly snow covered lake where most races start so the smell isn't that strong unless you get really close to a team. (I won't go into how the musher smells after eight days on the trail with no showers...) I'm including those smells in this story because I want my readers to experience the same kind of visceral, gut reaction that my MC is having.

How do you integrate the olfactory in your writing?

The lesson of UNSPOKEN

I just finished an ARC of UNSPOKEN by Sarah Rees Breenan (thanks NetGalley!) and was completely blown away.  This is the first in a new series by Breenan, who wrote The Demon's Lexicon trilogy. This new series is classified as YA Gothic Romance and comes out this fall. Rather than paste the blurb here, visit Sarah's site or watch the trailer :




BTW, this genre is not normally  my cup of tea. And yet I fell hard for this book. Why? One word: tension. The longing between Kami and Jasper is immediate, intense and constantly foiled. See, the two of them have been communicating their thoughts since they were born, years before they ever met. They're each other's best friend, albeit invisible, and both have put up with crazy reputations as a result. Then they meet, and everything changes. The ending had me literally yelling at the book like I did when Catching Fire or  Delirium ended, in that delighted, frustrated oh-no-she-did-not-do-that-to-me way.

It made me go back over the slow romance in my own WIP. My MCs are total opposites (you met them here) and when things start to heat up, I can't bear for them to be mad at each other. I'm like their mom, always wanting them to be happy. WRONG! Instead of Cupid, I must play Devil's Advocate - getting them close, almost touching - before ripping them apart via misunderstanding/circumstances/other people. I've gotta shed my ooey-gooey center and be as ruthless as the Grim Reaper on a scythe-rampage.

So here's my dilemma - how much delay is too much? Is it ever permissible to end on a less-than-satisfying-romance note? This is one of my questions for Sarah (who has agreed to an interview!!! Squee! I'm such a fangirl...) but what do you guys think? What's your formula for creating that angst-filled teen romance? How much delay is too much?  And, most importantly...

Is there room for an unhappy ending in YA if your MS is not part of a series? 

Elements of a great hook

First chapters are problematic for me. I rewrite them dozens of times – especially those first paragraphs, because they must do  many things well. Of course, they must hook the reader but ‘hook’ is a pretty big, generic word when applied to writing.

So what elements are there in hooking a reader?

I’m using 100-word (give or take) excerpts from three YA novels as examples – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma, and Looking for Alaska by John Green. Two of these are considered YA classics; Suma’s book just came out this year but her first few paragraphs are so well done, I'm including her.

As you read, watch for subtle manipulations of your psyche. The writer will go straight for your heart with his/her hook. They’ll appeal to your emotions – either through your feelings for your family, your friends or your pity.  They want you to fall in love with their MC and these 100 (or so) words are their first of a barrage of manipulation arrows aimed at making you react in certain ways.

1.       Identification. Look for the MC to be in a situation that you’ve been in or can picture yourself in.

2.       Emotions. The MC will react to the situation in an understandable way, a way that illuminates their character and makes you like or pity them in a good way. You need to root for the MC.

3.       Situation foreshadowing. There are clouds on the MC’s horizon. She/he may not know what they are yet but they know change is coming.

Imaginary Girls

Ruby said I’d never drown – not in deep ocean, not by shipwreck, not even by falling drunk into someone’s bottomless backyard pool. She said she’d seen me hold my breath underwater for minutes at a time but to hear her tell it you’d think she meant days. Long enough to live down there if needed, to skim the seafloor collecting shells and shiny soda caps, looking up every so often for the rescue lights, even if they took forever to come.

It sounded impossible, something no one would believe if anyone other than Ruby were the one to tell it. But Ruby was right: the body found that night wouldn’t be, couldn’t be mine.

1.       We all know a Ruby – a charismatic character so confident, life itself seems to bend to their will.  We’re naturally intrigued by such characters.

2.       We want to have such a character on our side.  If this person said something, it often became true.  People like Ruby open doors in life and being under her wing means safety.

3.       There is water everywhere in this scene, and now the assurance (the over assurance?) that no drowning would occur. Or at least, not to the narrator.  Then why mention rescue lights so early?

Looking for Alaska 

The week before I left my family and Florida and the rest of my minor life to go to boarding school in Alabama, my mother insisted on throwing me a going-away party. To say that I had low expectations would be to underestimate the matter dramatically. Although I was more or less forced to invite all my ‘school friends,’ i.e., the ragtag bunch of drama people and English geeks I sat with by social necessity in the cavernous cafeteria of my public school, I knew they wouldn’t come. Still, my mother persevered, awash in the delusion that I had kept my popularity a secret from her all these years.

1.       Those who've attended a public high school know exactly what Miles means here. The rigid clique system hasn’t changed much in fifty years.  The small group of ‘popular kids’ is far outnumbered by kids like Miles. Chances are, the reader is like Miles.

2.       We’ve all felt the terror of throwing a party where nobody shows up. Or imagined the humiliation.  Miles’ stoic acceptance of this – his lack of whining or hatred – move him out of pity territory and into admiration. We’re on his side.

3.       Miles’ life is about to change. He’s going to boarding school in another state very soon.  Also, that count down tells us there’s an ‘after’ and it probably isn’t good.

Hunger Games

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.

I prop myself on one elbow. There’s enough light to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her side, cocooned in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together. In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not so beaten down. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely as the primrose for which she was named. My mother was very beautiful once. Or so they tell me.

1.       Katniss and her sister share a bed, which suggests poverty.  Katniss wakes alone because her sister has abandoned her in favor of a parent, who offers more safety. ‘Or so they tell me’ suggests a rift between Katniss and her mother because Katniss has to be told of her mother’s beauty by others. She can’t see it herself.  There is something wrong there.

2.       Katniss wakes alone and observes them as one apart. Her mother is ‘worn but not so beaten down’ which, again, suggests poverty and a hard life.  The picture of the mother/child cuddled together cements their vulnerability as well as Katniss’s apartness.

3.       The word ‘reaping’ here could mean crops but the fact Prim has nightmares the night before suggests something more sinister.

Most importantly, notice what the writer does NOT include in these excerpts. They TELL us nothing.  Suma doesn't say that Ruby is dangerous. Green doesn't say that Miles's loner status is about to change. Collins doesn't say that Katniss loves Prim or has issues with her mother.  They give us just enough to figure this out, and now we want more.   

So, what else should a writer accomplish in the first 100 words? What have I missed? What examples can you recommend?

Revving up your revision

After a break of a few months, I've dived back into revising my finished MS. This round, I'm strengthening a few plot devices and giving my villain (and a few other secondary characters) a bit more depth. How to do this has been the subject of a few early a.m. brainwaves, during which I alternately told myself to go to sleep and mentally wrote this post. Hopefully someone will benefit from the dark circles under my eyes.

When it comes to characters, the best revision always includes background introduced in the right way, at the right time. As novelists, we're a bit like Hansel dropping crumbs behind the clueless Gretel, hoping our strategically placed information will keep our audience from getting lost in the forest. The problem is, we don't know when Gretel is going to look back and put the puzzle together. Here are three ideas that, if used properly,  won't fail to lead your reader to the right clues at the right time.

Stark motivation
Crimes of passion are the most common in literature. They're flamboyant, easily related to and usually involve a complicated knot of relationships.  They're crucial to mystery stories but even literary fiction benefits from characters who want something passionately.  Want - need - desire automatically sparks conflict because our MC wouldn't be in such a state if he/she already had it. Think Scarlett wanting Ashley or Jacob wanting Bella or Voldemort wanting power. Your villian must yearn for whatever with a strong intensity magnified by backstory. Was he/she an abused child seeking safety? An ignored teen yearning for revenge? An overlooked brother wanting attention? Whatever it is, be sure to make that stand out so your reader is in no doubt what's driving all the conflict.

Said is best
One of my betas reminded me of this a few months ago. I love words like retort and hissed and snapped. They fairly crackle with energy. Unfortunately, it's the wrong kind of energy. It detracts the reader from the dialogue, which, if I've written it right, should allow my reader to hear how my characters are speaking.  Too many of those tags and I'm banging you over the head with directions.  Since we all interpret stories differently, using a standard 'said' gives our readers freedom to build the world their own way.  It also gives them freedom to notice what's important in the plot at the time you intend.

Eliminating cliched personalities
There's this secondary character in my MS. I love her to death - she has the most sarcastic lines and is an excellent foil to my MC. Problem is, she's a cliche, about as substantial as an area rug. So I've given her a make-over. She keeps the lines but has a much darker outlook on life, one that's made her determined not to be shocked by anything. Period. And now she works so much better in my MS. So have fun with your secondary characters. Give them weird names, odd habits or accents or taste in clothes. Hollywood's preference for quirky sidekicks makes avoiding cliched personalities a lot harder but I know you're up to the challenge.

Those are my three - I know there are more but that's all I have time for. Please share your revision suggestions in the comments.

Speaking of time, I'll be taking a break from Friday interviews until Christmas break. A grant deadline, end-of-semester work at school, kid activities and my own MS revision have swamped me (not to mention all the Christmas mom duties awaiting me).  I'm cutting back to Monday postings - hope you can join me!

The success equation...or when the stars align

I’ve been thinking about timing the past few months. Both in the big scheme of things and in my MS.

Last week I was offered a job. It’s the perfect position for me right now: perfect place, time and expectations. The offer came about through two events: the fact that three years ago I changed careers and got an advanced degree so I could teach; and that four years ago, my son’s name was pulled from a lottery so he could attend a charter school. The first I definitely controlled. The second had nothing to do with me, other than the fact I entered his name in the lottery. The job offer came because preparedness met opportunity in my favor.

Luck = preparedness + opportunity + timing.

Back when I was a reporter in Seattle, I met Bret Lott, who wrote Jewel, one of Oprah's earliest book club choices. I told him that 99 percent of writers couldn’t possibly expect to have the same luck he did. “Of course not,” he told me (and I paraphrase bc this was a while ago). “But that’s no reason not to write. I never would’ve been lucky had I not been writing.”

Which was kind of nice to hear. Write, I can do. Revise, I can do. And if I can do nothing about timing, *shrugs* neither can anyone else.

Since my almost-finished WIP is a mystery, timing is crucial. I’ve got to build tension gradually, dropping clues like breadcrumbs at just the right intervals so I don’t lose/choke my reader. This is killing me right now – avoiding info dump in those first three chapters while keeping my word count low. There are certain things my MC must know right away and, since this is based on a true story, that translates to a lot of info.

It all leads to a really cool, suspenseful ending so there’s only so much I can cut or move to later. Which leads back to the info-dump problem.

It’s the revision catch-22, the endless merry-go-round I can’t get off.

So please, oh-gentle-and-more-experienced writer, what’s the equation to dropping key info in at the right time?

Timing = information + pacing + ???

Later this week or next, Cole Gibsen will share her publishing journey. Please join us!

Lindsay and Trisha, part deux!

I'm back again with the astonishing duo of Lindsay and Trisha, writing partners extraordinaire who, no doubt, will soon take the publishing world by storm! (You heard it here first folks.) Yesterday we learned how they met, how they work and revise together. Today we're covering what happened after the rough draft...



6. Your top three revision tips?

Lindsay: Trisha is the master at revisions so I’m taking this straight from her mouth. Read the suggested set of revisions. Walk away for a few days and let them simmer. Come back to the manuscript with fresh eyes before reworking. For the record, her process kicks all kinds of ass.

Trisha: That about sums it up, except for the copious amounts of wine. That and always ALWAYS save every version of your MS. You’d be surprised how many times you come back to the first, the second, heck even the tenth revision of a manuscript searching for that one line, that one scene that you want to put back in.

7. On your blog, you mention doing agent research. How much agent research do you do - did you cyber-stalk for weeks or just read their web site, or interviews like those on Literary Rambles?

Lindsay: Yes, we did a ton of research. Literary Rambles is awesome as well as sites like QueryTracker. And never underestimate the value of Twitter! Following agents you are interested in to watch for their personal tastes, wish-lists, and turnoffs is a great way to get to know who might be a good fit for your manuscript.

Trisha: No matter what avenue you take,, be sure to do your homework. Agents receive hundreds of queries a week so it is important to do your homework, make sure the MS/ genre you are querying them with is one they actually have interest in representing.

And don’t be afraid to query your top-five dream agents; you just may be surprised. We were!

I'm always amazed to hear from agents who give stats about how FEW of their queries actually follow the guidelines. *rolls eyes*

8. You had multiple offers. What was it about SILO that hooked them? (I'm sure it was the whole package but if you heard one thing continually from agents about what they loved, please share that.)

Lindsay: Our dystopian is unique – this is what we heard time and time again. It was grounded in reality, based on events that could happen today, tomorrow, or next year. It is also written from a male POV and explores the darker side of human nature. It was a combination of these things that attracted the agents, and fortunately, landed us the amazing Ginger Clark.

Trisha: Well, it was obviously my winning personality and Lindsay’s fabulous blog photo. Yeah, no. Silo is simply a unique take on a dystopian. Grounded in reality, written in the voice of our male MC, and set in a contemporary environment, it walks that fine line between complete fiction and oh crap, that could really happen.To me.Tommorrow!

I keep hearing how dystopian is so hot right now. Congrats on writing a great MS that's also timely! If only we could orchestrate timing like we can pace chapters...sigh.

Fast and furious five:

1. Dog or cat person
Lindsay: Dogs, dogs, dogs. Cats stare and freak me out.

Trisha: dog, although if mine continues to chew up the couch, I’m going to switch my answer to cat!

Yeah, that's why I'm a cat person. *stares creepily at Lindsay*

2.Song that gets stuck in your head most often.
Lindsay: Viva la Vida. I used to make fun of Coldplay, but I guess the joke’s on me now!

Trisha: Peter Gabriel – Salisbury Hill

That title Salisbury Hill makes me think of the song that gets stuck in my head: Scarborough Fair by Simon and Garfunkle. *hums the annoying tune* Crap!

3.Person you'd go back in history to meet.
Lindsay: I’d have to say Shakespeare. I was very influenced by his work in college and would love to know exactly who he was and how he came to write such amazing things.

Trisha: Seriously . . . Shakespeare? I guess I can see the draw. For me, probably Catherine the Great.

See folks? Writing partners can be different and still get along!

4. No. 1 thing on do-before-I-die list (non writing)
Lindsay: I’m not a big risk-taker so that takes parachuting, bungee jumping and virtually anything involving an early death out of the mix! I’d have to say traveling with my family. I love being in new places and seeing them through my kids eyes.

Trisha: I want to walk the great wall of China.

5. Best movie you've seen this summer.
Lindsay: Harry Potter – all the way!

Trisha: Smurfs 3-d. Particularly the scene where Brave Smurf (sporting a Scottish kilt) steps onto the ac vent and says something to the effect of “Ohh . . . this really cools the giblets!”

Wow. The fact Trisha's choice is the Smurfs isn't exactly a ringing endorsement of the choices Hollywood is making these days.

So that's it folks! Put your questions/feedback in the comment box and check in Monday to see if Melvin has chosen your name for a free query or first-three chapter critique. Good luck and thanks for playing! :))

Writing in twos, with Lindsay and Trisha

I'm so excited to be talking with writing partners Lindsay Currie and Trisha Leaver this week.
The whole idea of writing in twos is really intriguing, possibly because to me, the idea of finding someone compatible writing-wise sounds trickier than finding a husband/partner! Seriously, that is letting someone waaayyy into your psyche.

According to Lindsay, the two met in a critique group, got bored and presto! wrote a novel. Okay, it took a leeetle longer than that. But the bored part is true; that's what made them bounce ideas off each other. Trisha wrote the first chapter, sent it to Lindsay who wrote the next and presto-for-real-this-time: SILO was born. Hmmm....*eyes critique group speculatively* talk about working smarter not harder.
Anyhoo, they buffed SILO (a dystopian YA) so it shined, sent it off and got six offers before signing with Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown.
And they're super eager to tell you what's wrong critique either your query OR the first three chapters of your MS. To enter, please follow this blog and/or tweet about the contest, then let us know about it in the comments. Comments close Monday, Aug. 28.
Without further ado, heeerree are Lindsay and Trisha!

Describe how the writing process works for you two. Is one of you the plotter, the other a descriptor, etc?

Lindsay: Ah, yes. SILO was written with the amazing Trisha Leaver from beginning to end. Neither one of us are plotters and I can’t imagine us trying to write that way. We had a strong beginning and a vague idea of where we wanted to the ms to end, but we let our characters lead the way through the middle.We actually alternated writing chapters - she would write one and pass it to me for editing and then I’d write the next and pass it back to her. It was a fantastic process, but not one that would work for everyone. Trisha and I have very similar writing styles and shared a common vision for the novel, so we meshed very well together.

Trisha: Yeah . . . so not a plotter. I have a mental whiteboard that I use to keep track of my characters and plot threads, but to most people it would look like a giant mess of color-coded scribbles.

At least your scribbles stay in your head. Mine are all over my house.


2. What are the advantages of writing with a partner?

Lindsay: Well, for one it’s fun! I had a blast writing SILO with Trisha and sharing the road to signing with an agent was much easier with a partner-in-crime – someone who completely understands the waiting and the fears because they are literally wading through it with you.When it comes to writing, it’s nice to have someone else to finish a scene when you’re stuck or flesh out a plot-line that you might otherwise leave a hole in. It’s a very symbiotic relationship.

There were plenty of times when I got stuck and had to ship off barely a couple of hundred words to her, rather than a whole chapter, because I hit a wall. Fortunately, if you work well with someone, these moments aren’t a problem because it’s a give and take relationship. Sometimes you give and others you take . . . but in a good writing partnership, neither of you keeps track.

Now I just need to get her to Chicago – we’d be a whirlwind if we were writing together in the same city


Trisha: Knowing that there is somebody, who is mostly impartial, filtering though my often dark and insane plot ideas to find the one that will actually work. That and you never get stuck. When your muse decides to call it quits, there is somebody else there to pick it up.

Oh and there is absolutely no reason why Lindsay can’t fly here to see me!! I do live Cape Cod – summer vacation capital of the East Coast!

Ummm....I have to go with Trisha on this one. I used to live in the Midwest and there are two words for summer there: Hot. Humid. Cape Cod on the other hand, if you can put up with the crowds, has: Ocean. Sand. (Notice how I'm not mentioning Alaska. That wouldn't be fair to either place. ;)


3. The disadvantages? (yeah, be honest. I'm sure you each know them already! :)

Lindsay: Quite honestly, I’m drawing a bit of a blank here. The only thing I could potentially categorize as a disadvantage is that you are always writing to impress. When you’re writing solo, you’ve got only yourself to satisfy in that first draft, but when you are going chapter for chapter with a writing partner, in a way you are writing to impress, hoping they like what you wrote. It keeps you at the top of your game. So, from that angle, it’s honestly more of an advantage than anything.

Trisha: Disadvantages? Sure, I could see how there possibly could be some -- different voices, different writing styles, different ideas of how the story should unfold. Those were all concerns I tossed around before I jumped into this relationship. But to be completely honest, they haven’t come up. Lindsay has a remarkably similar voice and work habits. Plus we both share an affinity for exploring the darker, more desperate side of human nature.

4. How did you work through the revision process?

Lindsay: Multiple phone calls and Skype conversations a day along with copious amounts of wine. Okay, just kidding – there’s more to it than that, though there was a lot of wine and chatting involved in our revisions.

Revisions were based primarily on our own gut reaction as well as the reactions/feedback of our CP’s. We were lucky to have a very talented group of writers reading SILO as we wrote it, catching small glitches before they had a chance to take root.

Trisha: Pretty much copious amounts of wine, although I am sure Lindsay made good use of the mute button on her phone as I screamed and cursed my way through revising some of the more difficult scenes.

Oooh, wine and revision. They even sound like they go together, don't they? Especially if you put an 'h' in wine. *giggle*

5. It's hard enough for one writer to know when a MS is ready for querying. How did you two decide?

Lindsay: I think this was really a matter of us feeling satisfied with it personally. Once we got the reaction from our CP’s that we wanted, and we felt comfortable that the manuscript was as complete and polished as we could make it, we began sending out queries.


Trisha: When it is ready you just know. Then you take a risk and send it out. As my mom would say: you can’t learn how to swim if you never get your butt in the pool!

You heard her, people! Substitute 'read' for 'swim' and 'chair' for 'pool'...oh, never mind. Stop by tomorrow to learn the rest of this daring duo's writing secrets. Who knows - they may rub off on you. Especially if you win one of the critiques!

Upcoming post, reality check and platform building

So this last week was crazy! My day job is ramping up with the start of school and it's always an adjustment to juggle those duties with everything else. Loving it but still feel like a huge pile of responsibility was dropped into my lap. That, plus feedback from CPs (including the fantabulous Taryn of Teen Eyes whom I interviewed last week. I repeat - she's fantab) has thrown me back into Saving Andromeda for a total rewrite on my first hundred pages. Eep!

This means I now have much less time to blog because seriously, between work, family and revising SA, blogging comes last. As it should. I have to ditch my summer schedule of Wednesday book reviews and Friday interviews to just Fridays. (The other option is to keep it up and have my posts read like: jlkjd jkl jikljla sdafjij. Which nobody would appreciate, least of all me.)

This Friday, plan to meet Lindsay Currie, an aspiring author of YA spec fiction who, along with her writing partner, received SIX offers of representation before signing with Ginger Clark. (WOW!) We're going to talk about what it's like to write with a partner and learn more about Lindsay's journey along the publishing path. It'll be super-de-duper so be sure to stop by!

Rachel Harrie is hosting her third Writers Building Platform campaign over at her blog. It's all about linking virtual arms to network, brainstorm and raise our blog visibility. I LOVE these kinds of events so if you're a newbie like me, head on over to check it out! Sign ups end Aug. 31, I think, and the campaign runs until Oct. (If I'm not mistaken.)

And now *serious face* I must discuss the school year rush. Every August I'm surprised to rediscover how busy life and stressed my life normally is. Last summer was a huge, long soul-stretching lull...and now it's over. I'm alternating between loving the routine and stimulus and feeling like this:

As an introvert, I need lots of time to think and lots of space in my head for writing. (Space where my brain should go, heh heh.) All these other demands mean I'm facing a much longer revision time to do it right and that's frustrating. The challenge for me this year is to keep on. Just keep writing, just keep writing...like the little engine who could. Ugh. I want to be done NOW.
Please tell me, gentle reader - how do you stay motivated through the hard, uphill work of revision? Especially when there's so much else on your plate?

Interview with Becky Wallace part two, crit giveaway continues...

Yesterday, aspiring author Becky Wallace filled us in on her revision process and query stats. Today she's sharing about snagging her agent. She's willing to give away one, 10 page critique. To join in on the random drawing, please do three things: be a follower of this blog and post a link to this post either on Twitter or your own blog. Then in the comments, include your name, genre, title and email.

What made you choose to query Jennifer Laughran?
I did a lot of research about agents. I read blogs, comments, interviews, stalked client lists, and finally bought a Publisher’s Marketplace subscription. If you’ve read Jenn’s blog (literaticat.blogspot.com), you’ll notice her truly awesome/hysterically funny personality. Then you’ll look at her sidebar and realize how incredible her clients are. I was flattered that she would even consider me.

And if we’re being completely honest (and that’s the sort of girl I am) her sales record was freaking phenomenal for my genre. Jenn is agent-rockstar-extraordinaire and she was excited about my book! How could I not pick her?


Tell us about The Call.
Imagine sprinting through the Everglades at noon. It’s humid, the air is close, trees with twisted limbs and draped with moss snag your hair, and you’re pretty sure an alligator is stalking you. But you keep running because something totally life-changing is waiting for you in the next clearing. Yeah…that’s how I felt when Jenn called. Sweat literally dripped off my body (I know…eww). I was pumped full of adrenalin and terrified at the same time. What if she doesn’t like me? What if I say something stupid? What if I can’t think of any questions to ask? What if I can’t remember what my book is about?

I was shaky and stupid throughout the entire conversation. Even though I had a list of questions, I could barely read what I’d written. The words, “I’m-on-the-phone-with-an-agent-and-she-wants-to-represent-my-book-Is-this-for-real?” kept cycling through my head.

Honestly, it’s a good thing I didn’t go into cardiac arrest. I hope I sounded a little bit professional. A little. Maybe.

Ooh, I totally get sweaty when I’m nervous, too. I’m not a fan of sticky so the Everglades image made me wince. I’m guessing the elation set in after the phone call…

And now what? Are you on submission yet? If so, how many versions of your MS did you write? And how long did that take?

Yes, I’m on submission now. I think it’s been ten whole days. And it’s every bit as awful as querying. Maybe worse. I’m trying not to get my hopes up.

See the thing that no one tells you that even if you have an agent (even an agent-rockstar-extraordinaire) your book may still not sell. An author I totally love and respect has had five excellent books on sub and none of them ever got picked up. She’s had an agent for four years and just sold her first novel. That’s my new biggest fear (well…that and my completely unreasonable fear of the ocean because sharks live there).

So after my six initial drafts, I rewrote SIC following Jenn’s notes. It was the hardest revision because it was the most severe. I removed four characters (one that was practically my true character love), added one new character, changed the villain completely, and rewrote the ending.

I was on a pretty tight deadline to get it done—not one Jenn gave me. When I got her revision notes, I was seventeen days from my due date with my third baby. I wanted my book finished and sent to her before Critter No. 3 joined us. And somehow I managed to get it done.

Nothing like an impending baby to get your groove on. Smart woman to push thru…haha, a little pun there…*snort*

Most important thing ever to share with the agentless-but-hopefuls?

Can I give more than one important thing? Please? Okay, good.

1. Find a good critique partner. This person needs to be completely honest with you—someone who is liberal with criticism and light on praise. Someone who will poke holes in your plot, tell you when your characters are blah, and when your imagery fails to do its job. This person will become one of your best friends and assets. You may not like your crit partners all the time, but you will love them for the ways they make you better.

2. Put on some armor. This is a tough industry and it’s so, so easy to give up when someone tells you that your work sucks. And it will happen. Don’t quit. Toughen up.

3. Realize that everyone is better than you at something. Every time I read Cassandre Clare, John Greene, Kiersten White, or any of a dozen other authors, I think, “Holy crap. I suck so bad. Why can’t I produce those images or make my readers laugh or have such an awesome voice.” But you have something—you can do something that other writers can’t. Find that something and WORK IT. Then work on your weak areas.

4. Go with your gut. Although other people’s opinions are important, sometimes you just have to stick with your instincts. I don’t even want to think about the hours I poured into writing and rewriting my query letter when the original letter would have done the job. The same thing goes for your story. At the end of the day it’s your work. You need to be able to live with your final product. If you aren’t proud of it, you won’t stick with it. And you need a story you’re going to stick to.

I especially like this last one. You are a class act, Becky, and may The Book Deal be soon!
So post away, ducklings mine, and perhaps you’ll be the next of Becky’s critters to snag an agent.

Revision

There's a cliche that life is like a blank page, implying that what we do each day fills those pages with writing. I wish that were so, especially when I've screwed up in my usual spectacular fashion. Because then I could go over what I did with a delete key - or an eraser - and revise.

My kids do this all the time. Whenever something breaks or the youngest starts crying or the living room is a mess, they react by revising what actually happened to suit their POV. It wasn't my fault. He started it. That's not my mess. I didn't do it.

This is what makes writing a first draft so satisfying. My characters do and say (usually) exactly what I want. They are my creations; they don't talk back, or leave messes or welts on each other's faces. My yearning is for perfection...and that's bad. Very, very bad in fiction.

Fighting against this urge for perfection drives my revision process. As much as I'd like to avoid it in My Own Little World, I need the conflict. My invisible minions need warts, pimples, bad tempers, sneaky tendencies. They need foibles and personality quirks. Or there's no story. That constant good/evil fight drives everything. When my story lags, I look at the conflict. Chances are, there isn't any.

What else do I look for? Timing of events. Believable dialogue, which means I read out loud all the time like a crazy person. Careful word choice in descriptions. Chapter length. Does each chapter drive the story or can I ditch it? What's my message or is my world view consistent in these characters? And any info dump has to go.

I'm striving for perfect imperfection...which brings me back to real life. God didn't give us a delete key for two reasons: so we know we need Him, and so we're always moving forward. I'd be pressing that delete key all the time, spending my days trying to redo something rather than get it right the first time. Real revision in life centers around my attitude,(message) my reactions, (timing) the words I speak (careful choice). If I could learn to live as well as I want to write...well, that's the kind of revision I crave.