Status Update

I'll admit it. I don't know who all of you are. Some of you, definitely, but many I haven't had the pleasure to be better acquainted with.

That said, I'll tell you a few things about why I blog.

First reason- meaning literally, the first reason that made me want to try this out....
I was writing and knew that I knew nothing about the business. To learn, I searched the internet and soon discovered that the best resources were blogs. Weird, but true. On blogs things are more real-world and less censored. They have the facts about the hard world of writing and publishing.

In other words, authors who were strangers to me gave me the incentive to follow in their footsteps. I'm happy to say that now many of those authors are no longer strangers.

A little blip while we're on the subject- blogs are a great way to get information about agents too.

Second reason- I wanted to be able to tell the world about my book(s) and let people get to know me better. I love learning about writers and what makes them tick.

Third reason- this one is completely selfish. Having a blog meant that I would be able to keep up with friends and family better. Some people read the newspaper, I read the blogs. If I didn't have one, I really doubt I would keep up with everyone as well.

And fourth- I can think about random things out loud here and sometimes hear what you have to say about it. It's like having a conversation.

That said, here's my status update. In a nutshell.... I'm waiting to hear about the second book in the Alvor series, my newest novel is on submission via my agent and I'm currently writing a contemporary YA book. I call it contemporary, but it is going to have some twists in there that aren't the normal. Kind of like an urban cutting edge of technology now thing.

Whether that made any sense to you, it's turning out to be a story that grips the edge and runs headlong into real problems and real dreams. The kind of dream that gives you a reason to keep getting out of bed and making it through another day.

I can't wait for the day when I can finally say there's another book on the horizon for the world to read, but I promise to let you know if good news ever trickles in my direction.

Other than that, the next thing coming up is the SCBWI writers conference here in Boise, September 11. I feel lucky to have been invited to present there. If you live around the area, or not too far away, this is a great conference. They have manuscript critiques and other great things. The annual day-long conference in Boise will feature Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine Books and Jill Corcoran of the Herman Agency.

Okay, there you have it. My writing life in one post.

New Hobby

I read another author's words claiming he needed a new hobby. At first I thought "Why?".

I'll admit. I'm not that multi-talented. I am okay at a handful of things. And when I say handful, I mean about three.

Everything else is just survival. Necessary tasks in life to get through.

I've always said that I failed as a girl because I lack the ability to enjoy/do any crafts. Crafts are part of our culture. You know, interior design, throw a picture on the wall. Cooking, if you can eat it, you'll make it through another day. I can sew, but I'm a lot more interested in the final product than the journey. And all that artsy stuff, painting, floral arrangements, etc. I fail at.

If you find something adorable on my wall that looks homemade, I can assure you someone gave it to me.

But then, after a domino effect that I can't figure out, a new hobby emerged this week. I'm sure it will be another phase, but hey, I'm going to enjoy the ride. I discovered the art of making beaded watchbands. Part of the draw is how it completely lacks any serious art talent. But there is something soothing about stringing beads, uhm, not that I've made more than two.

So for this craftless girl, I'm creeping into a new horizon. Barely. If nothing else, I'll be able to give you the time in several different colors.

Oh, and writing. Loving writing. But I don't think that counts as a hobby anymore.

For the Birds

I miss the hummingbirds.

Last year we had resident hummingbirds that visited our feeder outside my kitchen window. If you've never watched one, you're missing out. Kind of like I am right now.

Early in the season we had several species come. As the summer progressed, we thinned out to just one.

Often I would be in the kitchen doing some of my least favorite chores, and a hummingbird would come. I nearly always stopped and watched for the few seconds it was there. Magic out my window. It was like smelling the roses, but watching instead. For a few moments scattered throughout the day, I was reminded of how miraculous our world really is.

The kids would stop all their noises and watch the hummingbirds too. It's incredible the power of one tiny little animal.

This year I was ready. I put up our hummingbird feeder and filled it with nectar. I looked forward to the tiny wings beating so fast they were a blur. But none came.

Instead, we've had a tree full of other things. Bright yellow birds. Some with red heads, some with yellow. Once during a rain spell, the tree outside our window had more than thirty of these colorful birds in it. For a few minutes, it looked like we lived in a tropical rain forest.

The other day I looked out my window and my heart sped up. Was it a hummingbird? And then a small pale yellow bird that looked like a canary landed on the top of my feeder.

Not a hummingbird, but maybe even more significant.

I did look up some of the species of hummingbirds to know that last year I had three different kinds here. I went to Petsmart and checked out the canaries. It looked like a match to me.

Maybe the weather patterns have changed just enough that the hummingbirds aren't coming. Maybe they're hanging out at someone else's house.

Either way, I can't help but appreciate the fact that in the absence of one miracle, another takes its place. A significant lesson, if I can but learn it from the birds.

Thoughts...Books

Maybe it's because I've seen too many sides of the business. Maybe it's because sometimes it feels too personal.

But more than once in a while, it seems like some books get published on sheer luck.

And then there are books that are sheer genius. Books that make me want to always read and write. Always. Because I couldn't live in a world that had neither.

I have read books that have frustrated me, left me with nothing more.

But then there are those stories that make the world slow down and I can see it for more than I ever had before. The world becomes bigger, and smaller. It means more. More than my tiny life could ever make of it on its own. Books that bring me out to another ledge of knowledge. Another depth of feeling. Understanding.

And I realize how big and small my own little world is. How it's full of nothing and everything at the same time.

Because even though sometimes the book was fiction, the thoughts were true. The feelings were real. And my eyes are opened a little wider.

In some ways I feel bad for devouring in hours what took months or years to write. Like Thanksgiving dinner gone in a half hour.

But it was made to be feasted on. I'm just glad I made it to the table.

And my feeble attempt to thank the strangers who have shaped my mind and life. To the multitude of authors. Thank you.

I'm Listening

Like a prodigal son returning, I finally made it back to my writers group.

And I learned some things. It's so great having a variety of perspectives. I always see things in a new way when I listen to critiques.

Voice. It's usually one of the hardest things to write well, and the most important. According to my writers group, this new piece I'm working on has the strongest voice they've ever seen me write. And it is why I will go on and finish it.

The genre is such a switch for me that I still doubt my skills in pulling it off. Can I do it? Now I have to find out. If the voice is right, I can make the story work. It's just going to take some genius to pull it off.

And, on assignment, I came up with a high concept description for my latest work. Spiderman meets Phantom of the Opera. Only contemporary YA style. Now you're wondering if it's even possible. I know. But so far, it is.

I'm listening. In spite of my fleeting thoughts of jumping off this story and into a new one, I'm going to stick this out.

And in the meantime, can I just say that summer reading rocks!!! Yesterday I read Wintergirls, today Book Thief. I know, I'm behind the times a little. Just finished Fallen. And the last Fablehaven book. And I seriously can't wait for Mockingjay.

So, if you're looking for me, I'm either with my computer writing, or curled up somewhere with a book. When I'm not chasing after my kids. Or doing all those other house-hold necessities.

On with summer.

So you want to get an agent... Part 4

Patience and Persistence

Patient: Bearing or enduring pain, difficulty, provocation, or annoyance with calmness; tolerant, understanding; capable of remaining calm awaiting an outcome or a result

Persistent: Refusing to give up or let go, persevering obstinately; insistently repetitive or continuous.

This is the hardest part of all. When it comes down to it, I'm the kind of person who likes to see things go. I'm not good at waiting around for the answer to finally come.

I prefer getting out there and working to sitting around and waiting.

And yet, in finding an agent or an editor, one must endure the excruciating pain of the waiting game.

You've sent your query letters. Some have asked you for a partial, maybe even a full. Now what do you do?

Answer: nothing.

Sure, you go on living life as normal, kind of, but this is one of those rare cases where no amount of work on your end is going to speed up the agent/editor's answer. True, sometimes there is such a thing as "nudging" when over a month has gone by, but let's face it, a month can feel like forever.

Then, you finally get your answer, and it's "NO". Now what? That's where persistence comes in. Go read the definition again. You simply can't give up. Maybe it's time to send out more queries.

I'll tell you my own experience so you can see how well I failed at following my own advice......

The first positive response I got from my query letters was a full manuscript request. Suddenly, I was in heaven. Someone finally wanted to see my work. And not just a little of it, they wanted the whole thing. I sent it off and searched the Internet for every possible detail about the agent. This was it. We were going to make a great match.

And then the answer came back "No".

Devastation . I knew this lucky chance was probably going to be my last. It was all over.

Uhm, talk about having faith in myself....

So, I cried. Had a bad day. And then sent out a bunch more query letters the next week. It made me feel like I was doing something constructive.

And then more requests came. Partials, fulls, and all the sudden I realized that things might start to fall into place.

But I still received lots of rejections to go along with it. Don't get me wrong, I'm still receiving them. I guess that's the beauty of querying a lot of agents. You WILL get a lot of rejections, and hopefully a lot of requests too.

So where I may have failed in the patience department, I made up for in persistence. And, the truth is, persistence is what gets the job done. Patience just makes you easier to live with in the meantime.

For all you patient people out there- kudos to you. I'm still working on it. And, as it turns out, getting an agent isn't the end of rejections and the requirement of patience. It's the beginning of a whole new level of the two.

So you want to get an agent....Part 3

REJECTIONS
It doesn't matter how many of these you get, or how well they're written, they all mean the same thing. "No."

If you've started your querying to agents, one of the first lessons you'll learn is how to handle rejections. From the start, I learned that not everyone learns how to deal with it the same.

The first writers conference I went to back when I had only barely learned what a literary agent was, I sat in a discussion where an agent fielded questions. That was the first encounter I had with bitter writers. The argument was that the writers wanted their manuscripts back so they could figure out via finger prints and ruffled paper just how many pages the agent actually read.

Even before I had started the process I picked up on the not-so-subtle angst the writers felt.

And I wondered if I would become a bitter writer too.

How you handle rejections is a decision. I don't think there is a specific formula that will work for everyone, but here's my thoughts on it.

*Whether the rejection comes via e-mail or snail mail, don't spend very much time reading it.

*Only re-read rejections that are clearly not form letters and then, read it after you've had enough time to not be upset with the agent/editor.

*Tell yourself it's going to hurt. I think acknowledging the hit of rejections helps. If you pretend it doesn't matter, you're lying to yourself. They do matter, but you will get past it.

*Stay busy. You're a writer. Write. If you spend all of your time waiting for the next rejection letter it's going to be a painful life.

*Remember that all decisions are nothing if not subjective. Just because your work isn't right for some people, doesn't mean it's not right for someone.

*Keep submitting. I submitted in waves. A bunch in a couple days, then waited a while for the next wave. Submitting can start to feel mechanical when you send things out to a lot of agents.

*Keep track of who you've submitted to. I wrote names on a calendar. Best idea I've ever had. When someone requested a partial or full manuscript, I wrote it next to their name. If someone rejected, I crossed their name off. By doing this I soon came to realize that I had almost as many requests as rejections.

*Take a break. When you're stressed up to your eyeballs in rejections, figure out something that will take your mind off of it for a little while.

*You will feel a lot better by the next day. I promise. Tell yourself that.

*Don't respond to rejections. Don't hit "reply" on your e-mail and tell them how wrong they are. If your work isn't right for that agent, you don't want that agent.

*If you never get any requests and you've submitted to every single agent in your genre, write something else. You managed to write something in the first place and chances are, that experience has made you a better writer. So go write.

*Then again, if you have a deep-seated belief in your story that refuses to go away in spite of hundreds of rejections, wait a while and try again. I never thought I'd say it, but I met someone who did exactly that. She changed her pen name, changed the title and not only found an agent a year later, but secured a contract with a big NY house. It's possible.