A Cool Giveaway for MG or YA writers

Dear-Editor.com is celebrating their one month anniversary with a giveaway of a free edit of a YA/MG manuscript.  Visit the site for more information.

http://dear-editor.com/

Just a Lyric in a Children's Rhyme: And so it begins...

Just a Lyric in a Children's Rhyme: And so it begins...: "spreadsheet outline"
http://www.anitanolan.com/theend.html

Ha! I'm not the only writer working hard on revisions. I found some great links to revision techniques on Joanna Smith's blog.

Bold and Brave Revisions

I'm deep into revising my MG historical fantasy. I love the story and the characters. The plot is worked out and I think working well (although at this point that is still only my opinion). My critique buddies (including my hubby, who is my toughest critique in a good way) are reading my second draft. With their help, I have found the focus of my story and have rewritten the opening chapters. Now I face heavy rearrangement of middle chapters and the rewriting of several scenes. I approach this with excitement and trepidation. What if I'm messing up the story? Is this the right way to take this? I think I'm deepening the relationship of the main and secondary characters and making the story richer, but there's much I like of the second draft that will change, but I think it must. But... but? Such insecurity is enough to drive me crazy. And I think I won't be sure until I dive in and come out the other side with a completed revision. Then I can stand back, take a breath and see what I have.

In true form of one who celebrates the little things, I'll take it a little at a time, enjoy the process and try not to sweat the rest. Hey, it's not like I can't go back to my previously written story. Now to dive in, be bold and brave and complete those revisions.

Catching Up

It has been a long time since I posted anything. Let's see. November I won Nanowrimo by completing a first draft of a MG historical fantasy. December I rested and enjoyed the holiday with wonderful sense of completion. It was hard not to go back in and immediately start revising, but I resisted (for the most part). January I started revising in earnest. Last week saw the completion of a second draft. Yay! I'm loving the story and can't wait to get back in to revise. I am resisting and waiting to get more great feedback from my various beta readers and to give my subconscious time to work on it as well.

Now, I must submit my MG historical to more agents and finish the latest revision of my YA fantasy. I'm hoping that one will be ready for submission after another round of polishing.

So that's a quick catch up in a nut shell. The life of a writer is never dull! Sometimes painful, heartbreaking, exhausting, frustrating as well as exhilarating and a bunch of other great stuff, but never dull.

And now, my day job (designing products) awaits.

Rejection

I received my first rejection from an agent today. I shrug it off (more or less) and say that is a part of the game. Not everyone is going to love what I've written and want to take it on. It takes only one, it takes only one, I chant.

I am heartened that I have generally moved beyond the form rejection. Today's rejection was short and sweet and I'm holding onto the words "your writing is strong" with both arms. When I first started writing and submitting to editors, the rejection letters really brought me down. I started out, like most writers, getting form rejections. When, one day, I opened my mailbox, tore open the SASE to find... A PERSONAL REJECTION. My name was on it, the title of my manuscript and ever heartening words, “I hope you will send me more work in the future.” Okay, so it wasn’t all that encouraging, or all that personal, and it was still a rejection, but I had made a step up from the dreaded Form Rejection. And since I live by the philosophy of CELEBRATE THE LITTLE THINGS, I do just that. See me holding onto those words?

The search is far from over.

The Search Begins

The querying has begun in my quest for an agent. The star of the show, It's Coming Down! is a middle grade novel set in the early 1900s during the height of coal production in Carbon County, Utah.

This story means a lot to me. Inspired by my dad who spent hours talking with me about his experiences in the mines and living in a coal camp in Spring Canyon, I have tried to bring to light the every day life of a coal miner in the early days of mining.

I hope those who are reading my manuscript (or parts of it) are enjoying the story of Mitch and his struggle to find his place in a world from which his pa has tried to protect him.