Meme Monday! (Ideas)

Curse that phenomenon of when your feet touch the ground 

making you forget that dream of a perfect scene!

ALL IN... (and it ain't poker!)

I finally got my last box of

business cards!

See these yellow notebooks?

Yep, that's actually the back of my card.

(So cool, right?)

What else do you expect from a collector of half-empty notebooks?

*sniff*

"So beautiful..."

Ready to rock n' roll this conference!

Feeding My Fetish...

So how do you fix that when

you have a sticker

with your logo on it?

You stick it on a 

Mini-Notebook!
(of course...)

And then hand them out to people at conference

so that others can take down notes...

... write down contact info...

... or even get autographs!
(I might have to keep one for myself!)

(It also makes a great business card

if you put your info inside!)

Meme Monday

Don't let the success of others keep you from achieving yours.

"Til It Shines Like the Top of the Chrysler Building!"

One of the GREAT lectures

at LTUE 2016

was from 

The Story Polisher, 

Christopher Baxter

on Why Editors Reject Stories.

Your manuscript... that is.
'Til it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!

We all have that love-hate relationship with our manuscript.

We work at it, and work at it, and work at it...

only to get turned down by editors.

The Story Polisher.blogspot

helps writers learn how to write smarter, not just harder.

(...and not hate the editor)

On his blog, you can find a TON of subjects.

The one he focused on at LTUE this year 

was on Why Editors Reject Stories.

I HIGHLY encourage you to check out his website 

for all the details, but to wet your palette,

some things to watch for are:

The Inactive Beginning

Controlling Your Dialogue

Perspective Errors

Over-writing Action

Matching Description and Viewpoint

"Figure" Problem

The Un-set Scene

Making Movement Meaningful

and Narrative Gaps.

For a myriad of helps you might need on your manuscript,

go to http://storypolisher.blogspot.com

Why, Grandma, What a Great Bio You Have!

Before the hunter comes in and axes my bio, 

I thought I'd commiserate with you on how hard it can be write a bio for a query letter.

It makes me just want to huff, and puff, and blow my computer away.

(Different fairy tale, I know.)

Advice I've received is:

"BE PROFESSIONAL, BUT LET YOURSELF SHINE THROUGH."

My blogging has always been fun and quirky. It is HARD to find a balance between that and professional. I like to lounge in my pajamas! (Think of this as my blog.) Going to work is like putting on a suit. (Think of this as being professional.)

You got it... I feel stiff and uncomfortable trying to pull this off.

"TELL ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT DON'T GO OVERBOARD."

This part will be REALLY short. I've not been published. My bachelor's degree is not in writing. . My critique group is all unpublished. All of a sudden, I feel like my life is REALLY boring... an no one is going to care that I'm a writer. 

(Which isn't true.)

"KEEP IT SHORT, BUT ENOUGH TO KNOW THEY WANT TO WORK WITH YOU.."

Here we go again on the whole keeping it short. Writers, get used to making every word count. Novels, you have at least 50k, but you have to cut out the junk and make everything flow. 

Pitches, queries, and bios (OH MY! - different story, I know.), they are so much more precise. 

Less words, more hook. 

The only consoling information I've found is...

"AGENTS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO WANT MORE OF YOUR WORK EVEN IF YOU QUERY LETTER ISN'T THE BEST."

Phew!

Now... don't let this be an excuse. I still plan on doing my best.

 AND going to conferences and paying for a pitch/query critique is another way to get great help,

making your work its best.

Here are some links that I've found to be helpful:

http://www.rachellegardner.com/how-to-write-a-terrific-author-bio/

http://www.thefictiondesk.com/blog/tips-for-writing-an-author-bio/

http://www.biotemplates.com

Don't give up... We've got this.

Can I Have a Synopsis, Please?

Everyone in my family loves to talk. 

Well, almost everyone. 

I prefer to listen, and then write.

 I never feel a need to talk a lot,

but I enjoy a nice conversation as much as the next person. 

Although, I've gotta say, when someone's going on and on, inside I want to scream:
 "Can I have a synopsis, please?" 

I think I understand agents more, now. 

As I have been working on my story's synopsis for querying, it seems a daunting task. I look back at how much I have written and think (with an accent like Inigo Montoya) 

"Let me esplain... No, there is too much. Lemme sum up..."

While it feels less possible to sum up, here's something that I found helpful...

There are many other helps found online. 

Google is my best friend, as well as The Writer's Circle on Facebook!

What's in a Genre? Would a Subcategory by Any Other Name Still Get An Agent?

Signing up for Nanowrimo this year, I had to figure out what kind of 'genre socks' my story wore.

For those interested, these are the thoughts that ran through my mind as my story tried on every possible kind of sock from toe socks to knee-high tights...

Is my story YA or New Adult? (What if my editor wants me to change it to children's literature?)

"Select your Genre"

Adventure 

(I have adventure in my novel)

Children's Fiction 

(There's children in my novel)

Fan Fiction 

(I have the same elements as Paranormalcy, ... maybe.)

Fantasy 

(But it's not epic fantasy. Does this include Urban?)

Historical 

(I have history in my novel.)

Horror/supernatural 

(Supernatural, is that only ghosts? - How did Stephanie Meyer get into this genre?)

Literary 

(It's a book, duh.)

Mystery 

(I definitely have mystery, but doesn't every book?)

Personal 

(uh, duh - every book is personal)

Religious/Spiritual 

(My characters all go through a character arc)

Romance 

(My novel is kind of centered around a romance, but it's not one of those 'dirty' romances. I don't want to be one of 'those' writers.)

Satire/Humor 

(Even drama has some humor - or you'd get wrinkles as you read.)

Science Fiction 

(hmm... mine isn't sciency enough, I guess.)

Thriller/Suspense 

(How is this different than horror?)

Women's Fiction 

(Isn't this just another word for romance?)

Young Adult 

(ahh... nice and safe. CHECK!)

Other 

(or do I submit a subgenre...?)

(Deep Breath...) 

Overwhelmed? Absolutely. 

The best help I received is to think who would really love to read your book. Who is your audience?

There are lots of helps for figuring out what genre/subgenre your book is. 

Cathy Yardly at 'Rock Your Writing' has a great post that can help: 

http://www.rockyourwriting.com/2013/06/how-to-figure-out-your-books-genre/

Good luck. 

Don't Forget to Live...

Parental Checklist:

_ Tuck kids into bed

_ Go to Dance Recital

_ Make dinner

_ Do laundry

* Sorry, I HAVE TO WRITE!

I am guilty of being an obsessive, one-track minded person. This is naturally a struggle to keep in my attempts balance all of the things that matter in my life. I wear many hats: nurse, chauffeur, chef... (I particularly like my snazzy writer one)...

BUT it would do well to remember when we sit down to write. 

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WRITE ABOUT?

The struggle is real to make and keep that balance. (Personal struggle, societal struggle, etc. It's the stuff dystopia is made of.)

Does that mean I have to put my inspirations on hold? What if I get a good idea while I'm out and about?

Let me just say: We writers are quirky for a reason. Why change that? 

I wrote a family blog. When my kids would do something hilarious, I would ask, 'Can I blog that?' 

Soon my WHOLE family would start saying, "You should blog that!" before I could even ask. 

If we were out, I wrote it in my little notebook I kept with me. 

I'm weird. I embraced it. My family embraced it. 

Soon, those around you will see you writing in your notebook and say, 

"Next great novel idea in progress!"

Will What Ails the Writer Make Them Stronger?

Migraines... they suck.

No, I mean REALLY suck. I think I would prefer to have the flu or a cold than have a migraine. At least then I could write while being stuck in bed.

Not more migraines, my friend. Nope. I lay in bed trying to relax enough to actually sleep or else the throbbing pain takes over. Thinking... hurts. There is nothing worse than when my story is running through my mind while I'm trying to sleep from a migraine. It goes right along with an exhausted body that can't sleep because the mind won't relax. (You with me, insomnia friends?)

Should we feel sorry for the writers with migraines?

(a resounding... YESS!)

But maybe there's a silver lining, fellow writers.

Those with migraines know pain. A friend with migraines says "it's a pain I could die from." We writers write to express feelings and painful situations. In the climax of a story, our characters experience 'all is lost' and the 'dark night of soul'. If we have felt that ourselves and can write about it... that is powerful indeed.

So, yes, feel sorry for the writers with migraines. But not too much.

(And writers, there's always a resolution to our pain similar our novels. Just because the curtains are closed for a day doesn't mean they can't be opened once the pain has passed. There's your rainbow with a pot of gold.)

Non-migraine sufferers... 

Yes, you are now allowed to envy my pain.

From the Desk of Jenn...

You heard it straight from Jenn's Writing Corner!

(I needed a place to write, so...)

Welcome to where my imaginary friends help me put their life into words and into Pages.

(That's right, I like Mac's.)

It's not much, but it's where my imagination gets organized.

 (Thank you, Hubby!)

LTUE 2016: Life, The Universe, and Everything!

This February was LTUE 2016!

Being that my daughter is now 12, she and I both went to enjoy panels of our own interests!

(Same 'write' place, same 'write' time as last year!)

Got to meet with lots of authors!

(Brandon Sanderson)

Mary Robinette Kowal

 L. L. Muir

Dan Wells 

 (and TONS more greats!)

What would a conference be without great cosplay?!? 

I also got to listen in on Writing Excuses' newest podcasts! 

(Love their mic bandanas!)

My first LIVE session of Writing Excuses! Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal. ‪#‎LTUE2016‬ "You're all out of excuses. Now go write."

I SO look forward to Myanna getting to come in a year or two!

She will LOVE all the artists and neat digital art tools!

Also being my first opportunity to pitch my novel, it went over pretty well. 

Sounds like there is some interest from agents/publishing companies in what I'm writing!

Yay! Yay! Yay!

Needless to say, we are anxious to find out if there is life after LTUE.

RIP

Here lie Jennadee and Debany Gilson, 

died from brain overload @ LTUE 2016