Mid-Year Review

       

       Here we are, halfway through 2015 (I know, when did that happen?) Since I consider my writing a second job, I thought it would be a good time to give myself a mid-year review. 
       As a refresher, here are my 2015 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Read more blogs about writing, and make comments. Goal: one new blog/comment per week. 
       Well, we're starting off with a fail. I have done neither of these things on a weekly basis. Perhaps this resolution was too ambitious. I'm going to change it to one or two a month and go from there. Baby-step to make it more likely: compose a list of writing blogs so I can easily click and read when I have time. Have ideas of writing blogs for me? Please leave them in comments!

2. Do at least two rounds of queries for my middle grade novel. 
       Ok, this one I feel better about! I have done one round of querying (eight agents) and await to hear from seven of them still (first reply was a "no." Add it to the Rejection Tally). Most agents say they'll respond or pass within eight weeks, so that gives me plenty of time for a second round of querying in the fall!

3. Begin new middle grade novel (I have two ideas I'm kicking around...will let you know which wins). 
       Another win! I have begun a new middle grade novel while I'm waiting to hear back from agents. My new project: an alternate history set in Chicago in the 1960's, in which gender roles are reversed, i.e. women are the dominant sex. Told from the point of view of Theo, a 12-year-old boy who wants nothing more than to grow up, get married, stay home and raise his kids. 

4. Write two blog posts per month.
       Well...not quite. If I'd stuck to this I should have 12 posts this year and I have 8. Three quarters of the way isn't too awful, right? My husband and I bought a house, packed, and moved all between the end of February and the end of March, which sunk writing way, way down on my list of priorities. But it has risen to the top once again! (song playing in my head: "Survivor" by Destiny's Child)

       No need to wallow in the mud of my failures...let's celebrate two out of four resolutions (I mean really, two and three quarters)!! And I now resolve to try a little harder on following other writing blogs, and continue with my own blog posts. 

       Now for you: there are 6 more months left in the 2015 calendar. Time to do a little self-evaluation of your own...revisit resolutions, see where you're at, and re-resolve, if needed. How have you done on your New Year's Resolutions? Can you remember what they are? I wish you the best of luck in tackling old goals and creating new ones, and I celebrate with you in what you've already accomplished thus far! And, even if you think you haven't done much in the way of your goals this year, here's a little Pooh Wisdom to keep in mind: 

SCBWI Illinois Spring Thaw 2015

       What a perfect day for this year's SCBWI Illinois Spring Thaw: the sunny and "warm" weather (the low 40's after months of brutal below-zero windchills is paradise!) put everyone in a good mood and ready to dust off the winter's work to share and critique with others. 

       Contrary to Prairie Writer's and Illustrator's Day back in November, this conference is much more intimate. Instead of sitting in a big conference room, we were at round tables where we got to interact and get to know people. I enjoyed the format (and the shorter day, and come to think of it, shorter drive) much better!

       Some of the highlights:

      1.  A keynote speech from agent Paul Rodeen of Rodeen Literary Management located right here in Chicago. One of the biggest takeaways from his speech was that when it comes down to it, if you want to get your book published, you need to be a really, really good writer. Duh, right? But, it's very easy to lose sight of that when you're constantly inundated with workshops on finding the right agent, and mastering the query letter. So, it was nice to be reminded what truly matters! 

       2. Another keynote speech from Kelly Barrales-Saylor, an editor with Albert Whitman & Company of Park Ridge. She was hilarious and personable, and broke publishing into three main feats of human strength (my words, not hers): Do Your Homework & Research; Submit Something Great; and Get Used to Rejection. I really appreciate her last point on rejection, which was that in fact, it's NOT the rejection that's the hardest part. It's learning to work with your editor/agent after being offered a deal on COMPLETELY CHANGING YOUR MANUSCRIPT. I get why that part is difficult, I do. But if I've been offered a book deal by an agent or editor, I promise I will not mind this step. I will do whatever they suggest to make my book the best it can be! But, I do think it's good for authors to go into this knowing that will happen. That even when your work has been "accepted" by the publishing world, it's still going to need some work. 
        She also gave me a great idea for my blog: interview agents and editors! What better way to hobnob with the target audience, plus get some great advice? Stay tuned for this feature here. Kelly and I both work in Park Ridge...think she'll want to do lunch?

       3. Round Table discussions: We were seated according to book format (picture books, middle grade, YA, etc) and had two sessions where table members got to share the first 500 words of their work and get feedback from the group. This was great! It's always so nice to get fresh eyes on your work; particularly fresh eyes belonging to people familiar with the industry. I came away with a couple of good ideas and all kinds of warm fuzzies from my table-mates. I also scored a new e-mail beta reader/critique partner!

       4. A 15-minute one-on-one talk with an agent or editor who had read your first ten pages prior to the conference. Invaluable! For us pre-published authors, editors and agents often seem so inaccessible. So to have one read your work and discuss with you is so refreshing. My sit-down was with Paul Rodeen. He gave me a lot to think about, which felt overwhelming at first. I can definitely see the validity of several of his points...I'm just not ready to tackle them yet. I need to let his comments marinate for a while, then examine how I can incorporate them into my piece while still keeping it my piece. 
       Getting personalized feedback can be so hard, because it's such a subjective industry. For every agent that likes your work and relates to your vision (which is probably only a few), there are hundreds who don't. It doesn't mean you're a bad writer or they're cruel agents, it just means there wasn't that much needed connection. It can feel very discouraging at times, but I relate it to dating, in search of "The One." You kiss a lot of frogs until you find your prince, so they say. Well, you also submit to a lot of frogs until you find your Agent (note: I'm not calling anyone there today a frog.)

       5. As with Prairie Writer's Day, the highlight of my experience came in the last 5 minutes, during the Mix & Mingle. I'm really starting to get the hang of these things--and with no cocktails, either! When I first learned Chicago-based Andrea Brown agent Jennifer Mattson would be on the panel, I freaked out. She is at the very tippy top of my dream-agent-list, after having read several interviews with her and about her work. What an opportunity! I patiently waited my turn to introduce myself and my work, and we had a great conversation in which she actually asked me more about my novel after hearing my "elevator pitch!" And THEN she said she'd love to take a look at it! Done! Hooray! She even loved my bookmark business card (thanks again 12 Line Studio). 

      Now I just need to find a moment to submit to her amidst closing on a new house, moving, and a trip to Hawaii. Should be no problem :)

Writing Contests...To Enter or Not To Enter?

           Many aspiring authors who are plugged into the writing social network have undoubtedly caught wind of many, many contests meant for newbie writers to get their work in front of agents. Some involve a Twitter Pitch alone, some are queries or first pages, or maybe even the first ten pages of a work. All sound glamorous and promising, and all can be a major time-suck. Many writers probably wonder "Should I enter? Is it worth my time to finesse a 140-character gripping hook for my novel versus spending that time actually revising said novel, working on my query, or researching prospective agents?"

        Here's my take, as someone who has entered (and lost) several writing contests. Usually only one, or a few, authors win any given contest, so entering renders an individual very, very susceptible to losing (there are a LOT of aspiring authors out there, people). Upon finding out you weren't chosen, it can feel like a colossal waste of time time, resources, and hope. 

BUT...

        The way I see it, every contest you enter gets you out there. Freeing your work into the world is important (duh, because how is it ever going to get published if no one sees it?). Every time you enter a contest, you get a little more used to other people seeing and critiquing your writing. And, every time you work on creating whatever is required for contest entry, you learn something about your work. Can you hook someone on your novel in 35 words or less? It's harder than it sounds...and I think that sounds pretty hard! After entering your first 250 words into a couple of contests and not winning, you might consider making some changes. When available, reading the winning entries can also teach a lot about what people in the industry are looking for. 

       Conclusion: Enter contests, IF you have a finished manuscript. Don't kill yourself trying to enter every single one, but if you have time before a contest deadline, go for it! For every hour spent assembling a contest entry, spend two on continuing your other work. 

Some upcoming contests:

1) Pitch Madness from the contest queen, Brenda Drake (deadline is midnight February 23rd!!). I entered this year. This is the one where you write a 35-word hook, plus submit the first 250 words. 60 finalists move on to an agent round where agents duke it out to request partial or full manuscripts from finalists. 

2) SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grants (submissions March 1-31). One winner in each category will have work presented to leading publishing houses. 

3) Twitter Art Pitch Party for PB through MG (April 2). This one's for illustrators!

4) Check out Sub It Club's Contest Page for all kinds of smaller contests (win critiques or lessons, etc). 


                      BEST OF LUCK IN ALL YOUR CONTESTS! 

Top 5 Writing Celebrations of 2014

         

Writing...reflecting...looking deep, 

all under the watchful eye of MJ

         A year-end is, of course, a wonderful time for reflection and goal-setting. Looking back on my year in writing, I am very happy with my progress. Though I say I've been writing seriously for about 4 years, 2014 was when I got REALLY serious. I put myself out there more than ever, and bumped writing up on my list of free-time activities, knocking out a few of my other favorite pastimes (apologies to my neglected piano as well as anyone expecting a homemade birthday or holiday card). Here, my top 5 celebrations in writing from the year: 


5. Connecting. Just like many industries, writing is about much more than just writing. I won't say it's ALL about who you know, but it sure doesn't hurt to know some people. Since my teaching profession actually does not involve a ton of networking, this is new to me. For a while I hovered with my toes just inside the line of the writing community, but this year I stepped in (yeah, jumping in is just not my style) with both feet. And, ok, I think we technically reconnected in 2013, but this year I've so enjoyed chatting more and more with my first-best-friend-turned-children's-author, Jessica Lawson. Still so psyched we found each other & share a passion for children's books!

4. Finishing my 1st Novel. I may be the only person in Chicago thankful for the "Polar Vortex" or whatever you want to call the string of 40 below zero and snow-filled days in early 2014. These days provided me with many days off work, stuck at home cozied up to my laptop. I'd joined a SCBWI group called the NYNNies (a spin-off of NaNoWriMo that stands for "New Year New Novel") and the timing couldn't have been better. Though it was very, very, very rough, by January 31st I finished my first middle grade novel manuscript! Even better, I have now completed 2nd and 3rd drafts and am halfway through the 4th revision (can I finish by 2015? That's the goal!)

3. Prairie Writer's & Illustrator's Day. See my post about this writing conference for more details, but to sum it up: great breakout sessions, became re-inspired, worked up the nerve to introduce myself to the members of the panel & received personalized feedback on my work. Win. 

2. Getting Interest in Response to a Query. Any published or pre-published writer knows: learn to live with rejection. Most people go through hundreds of rejection letters (or sometimes no response at all). So, when I sent an email query to a picture book publisher, I never imagined I'd get an immediate response that they were interested and would get back to me!! Ultimately, they passed, but that almost didn't matter (ok, it mattered). But the important part was that little mini-ego-boost I got from that glimmer of interest. That may keep me going for years!

1. Creating My Social Media Presence. Up until 2014, one of the easy things about my budding writing career was that it was optional. What I mean is that most people besides my family, close friends, and critique group didn't even know I wrote children's books. I wasn't really held accountable. So, it was really scary to start this blog and sign on to Twitter. Other people with life goals or New Year's Resolutions know what I'm talking about: once you announce your goal, people are going to ask you about it. It is motivating and intimidating. Now that everyone knows it's my dream to become a published children's book author, I can't just tell them "oh, I don't really feel like it anymore." LAME! And untrue. But the cool thing about announcing my goal is the massive amount of support I've received. I'd like to take this opportunity to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who has asked me about my books, read and/or commented on my blog, and given three cheers for my writing. 

          Check back in January for my 2015 Writing Resolutions, Writing Inspiration, and the 100 Best Writing Websites of 2014...

Prairie Writer's & Illustrator's Day 2014: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

         Reflecting on Prairie Writer's Day 2014 on the Sunday morning after, I can categorize my main impressions into three groups: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Yesterday's marathon day (8:30am-6:30pm, yes that's why I'm writing this from my bed) included a talented and helpful panel: 

Caroline Abbey: Senior Editor at Random House
Jordan Brown: Senior Editor at Walden Pond Press & Balzer + Bray
Brett Duquette: Editor at Sterling Children's Books
Karen Grencik: Agent at Red Fox Literary
Esther Hershenhorn: Author & Writing Coach (and personal mentor!)
Loraine Joyner: Senior Art Director at Peachtree Publishers
Rachel Orr: Agent at Prospect Agency
Eliza Wheeler: Author/Illustrator & keynote speaker
Noa Wheeler: Editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. 

Phew! That's a mouthful. Or, a keyboard full? Either way, these wonderful people were very generous with their time and wisdom and offered all kinds of tidbits for this conference room full of eager authors. 

THE GOOD:
1. I learned from Jordan Brown the "6 Signs That Your Manuscript Isn't Ready to Submit" and was very happy to note that I could check almost all of them off the list, including "If You Haven't Shared Your Manuscript With a Writing Group, It Isn't Ready to Submit" (check!) and "If Your Main Character Hasn't Done Something to Surprise You, Your Manuscript Isn't Ready to Submit" (check!). That last one sounds weird, I know, to non-writers or newbie writers. Just a short time ago, I myself was dubious when I'd hear authors exclaim "I couldn't believe she just did that!" I mean, you're the one who wrote it, right? But now that it's happened to me, I get it. Your characters take on a life of their own...you'll be sitting there, happily composing a draft of a chapter, and all of a sudden you realize what your character is about to say or do, and although you know it came out of your own brain, it's almost as if it didn't. It is a COOL feeling. 
2. One of the other "6 Ways..." that I need to still do is to read my manuscript out loud. It's obvious to do this when it's a picture book, but for some reason I have yet to do this with my middle grade novel....DUH! The major irony here is that I tell my 4th grade students to do this with their writing at least twice a week. It's a great way to hear flow, catch mistakes, and listen for voice. 
3. Eliza Wheeler, whose keynote speech was all about inspiration, suggested making a soundtrack for the piece you are working on and listening to it BEFORE sitting down to write. I've heard of soundtracks for pieces before, but never thought of actually listening before writing as inspiration. In particular, she suggested movie soundtracks as they already have a narrative quality in the background music. Can't wait to try this!
4. One of the main benefits of attending PWD is that you are allowed to submit work to anyone & everyone on the panel in the months following the conference--even publishing houses that don't normally accept unsolicited submissions. So, that's a bonus I am prepared to take advantage of this year. 
5. I achieved my main goal for this year (see previous post Tips for Attending Writing Conferences) and ignored my inner introvert in order to introduce myself to as many people as possible. I ended up passing out about 10 business cards--aren't they cool?--and stayed for the Mix n Mingle to speak to some of the industry panel members I hadn't already spoken to! Go me!

Thanks Nate Azark Design!

6. This one is both good & bad. Whenever I attend conferences like this, I talk to others & look around the room and am comforted by the fact that there are so many people in the same boat. So many others who are also "pre-published" as I have now come to call myself. But, that thought can be pretty depressing at the same time. Look at all the writers--and only a few can and will be published one day. As one of the panel members noted, "There are millions of great writers in the world. But only a small percentage are actually published." Awesome. 

THE BAD:
1. I didn't win the agent contest (2 winners receive a 30-minute sit-down with an agent about their submission). Let's add this to the Rejection Tally. However, at said Mix n Mingle I approached Rachel Orr and found out that she had read my contest submission. She was able to recite a very good chunk of my synopsis back to me, so I asked if she had any specific feedback for me. She said that although the premise was cool enough that she mentioned it to her husband (!!!!), and although there was voice (!!!!), scenes she loved (!!!!) and a plot twist that sounded cool (!!!!), there were 2 main reasons she didn't pick me for the contest: there is no place in the market right now for alternate society/dystopian. Sad face. Heart sinks. I had a creeping feeling this was the case, what with the inundation of Hunger Games and Divergent, etc., but it's not my fault I hadn't finished my book yet when those came out! No fair! She told me to keep working on it, get it perfect, and then maybe just hang on to it for a while. The other reason she didn't pick my book was more of a personal preference for her: too many futuristic details. 
            So, I was very disheartened coming home last night, realizing that my current novel is going to a be hard sell right now. I know, I know, it hasn't been a waste of time, look at all I've learned, maybe there'll be a market for it in a few years, I KNOW! But my heart doesn't care about all those logical things. 

THE UGLY:
1. It took 1 hour and 20 minutes to drive home (what should normally be 35 minutes). Through a snowstorm. 

Although I'm leaving you on "The Ugly" note, my overall feeling is a positive one. I have patience, I have tenacity, and I have lots of other ideas for books and an endless supply of chai lattes to get me through it all. As I told my husband last night, "I've dug myself in deep enough on this one that I can't just back out. The only way out is to keep digging." 

Hand me that shovel, will you?

Pardon Me While I Teach

Late August/early September...one of the busiest times in a teacher's life. A whole new batch of kids to learn their names, their quirks, their strengths & weaknesses, and the things you can use to connect to them. On top of that, the administrative duties that happen only at the beginning of the year: getting all their computer passwords set up, making sure you have enough social studies textbooks, making nametags, labeling supplies. And then there is the "training" of the kids, getting them used to your personal routines, your schedule, your preferences for where & when they turn in homework, when they can go to the bathroom, and just how much misbehavior you'll put up with (answer: none, unless they do something that truly makes me laugh). Oh--and the most important part, yet the part that ends up the afterthought to all that: teaching. Lesson plans to get the actual curriculum rolling as soon as possible because you know that come June you'll be running out of days to squeeze it all in. 

This is where I am now, one week in. A successful week so far, if you don't count the power outage and fire alarm on the first day! But, it is busy, and it is exhausting. My writing immediately took a backseat to the start of the school year. It's as it should be, seeing as I get a paycheck for teaching and writing has provided no income yet, but it is also disappointing since I had such great momentum over the summer. It just means I have to make writing a priority in my free time (like now, sitting on the couch of my in-laws' Michigan lake house listening to the waves). 

If there are any teachers out there who think writing will be a great "summer activity," think again. It's a full-time job. Sure, the summer is a great time to get big chunks of writing or research done, but if you ever want to get anywhere, not to mention if it's something you're truly passionate about, you're not going to be able to leave it alone September through June. 

So, if there are any Pitch Wars mentors reading this, fear not: If I am chosen it will be the biggest thing to happen in my writing career and I will treat it as such. 

Besides, I'm sure my in-laws will be happy to lend me some space at their lake house so I can write.