Tuesday, November 24, 2009
New Contest
Here's a contest that has a FULL CRITIQUE as one of the prizes so check it out - note the Dec. 1st deadline. Good Luck!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NaNoWriMo or Revision Hell
So my lovely critique group cohorts are all participating in NaNoWriMo and, I'm guessing, won't be posting much here this month thanks to their aching fingers. I went back and forth deciding between becoming a first-time NaNo participant and doing revisions on my recently completed YA ms. Revisions won out thus making me the lone NaNo holdout in my group, and it's why I'm in the midst of revision hell right now. Side note: If you don't think revision hell is an actual place, you haven't been to my house. Here's the thing though - I'm having fun in hell. Who knew?
Here's how my first draft revision went down: I went through about 20 chapters tonight and revised the heck out of them. Then I realized that due to all my brilliant revisions, I created an inordinate amount of additional things that needed to be revised. There must be a mathematical formula that supports this - e.g. for every one thing you change, the resulting things that require changes grows in an exponential fashion. At any rate, I changed a secondary storyline, re-wrote scenes, deleted scenes, polished dialogue and killed a character (and by killed, I mean I took them out of the story altogether - I didn't maul them with a candlestick).
Then I settled into my pillows - because what better place is there to do revisions than in bed - with my laptop, my green tea, and my printed manuscript (the one now scattered over my bedspread with my chicken scratch notes scrawled on it) and sighed. It dawned on me that as fast as I'm capable of working, this process won't be a quick one - in fact, it will take me longer to revise the book than it did to write it. That was an eye-opener. Not to mention that my wonderful critique partners haven't yet read it and that's when the heavy revisions will begin.
So why am I finding it fun? Because even after only half of one revision, my book is better. It's better now than it was yesterday and with more feedback from beta readers and critique partners, along with countless other revisions, it will get even better. On the business end, I have no idea how this will turn out - if the book will get published or find an agent - but that would be icing on the cake. I'm writing the best book I can and am having a blast doing it. Talk to me when I'm on revision number 19, and I may not sound so cheerful...:) Where are you in your revision process? What number revision are you tackling right now?
Feel free to comment about anything you want: NaNo, revisions, whether the Saints will go undefeated, etc?
FYI: Elana Johnson from Querytracker has a fabulous post with tips on the revision process. Her blog is filled with great info and can be found here.
Here's how my first draft revision went down: I went through about 20 chapters tonight and revised the heck out of them. Then I realized that due to all my brilliant revisions, I created an inordinate amount of additional things that needed to be revised. There must be a mathematical formula that supports this - e.g. for every one thing you change, the resulting things that require changes grows in an exponential fashion. At any rate, I changed a secondary storyline, re-wrote scenes, deleted scenes, polished dialogue and killed a character (and by killed, I mean I took them out of the story altogether - I didn't maul them with a candlestick).
Then I settled into my pillows - because what better place is there to do revisions than in bed - with my laptop, my green tea, and my printed manuscript (the one now scattered over my bedspread with my chicken scratch notes scrawled on it) and sighed. It dawned on me that as fast as I'm capable of working, this process won't be a quick one - in fact, it will take me longer to revise the book than it did to write it. That was an eye-opener. Not to mention that my wonderful critique partners haven't yet read it and that's when the heavy revisions will begin.
So why am I finding it fun? Because even after only half of one revision, my book is better. It's better now than it was yesterday and with more feedback from beta readers and critique partners, along with countless other revisions, it will get even better. On the business end, I have no idea how this will turn out - if the book will get published or find an agent - but that would be icing on the cake. I'm writing the best book I can and am having a blast doing it. Talk to me when I'm on revision number 19, and I may not sound so cheerful...:) Where are you in your revision process? What number revision are you tackling right now?
Feel free to comment about anything you want: NaNo, revisions, whether the Saints will go undefeated, etc?
FYI: Elana Johnson from Querytracker has a fabulous post with tips on the revision process. Her blog is filled with great info and can be found here.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Win a signed copy of HUSH HUSH!
Win a signed copy of HUSH HUSH!
Win a copy of HUSH HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick at book reviews by Jess!
Jess has a great review site and she's always got new and exciting (and easy to enter) contests going on! Check her out even if you don't want to enter this one!
-L.J.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Nathan's Great First Paragraph Contest
The uber-agent Nathan Bransford from the uber-agency Curtis Brown is having a first paragraph contest and he already has close to 2000 entries so join in the fun. The deadline is Thursday at 4p so read the rules on his blog and get to posting!! Just follow this link and good luck!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Attention Educators! Say NO to book banning!
It is Banned Books Week folks, and Author Laurie Halse Anderson (WINTERGIRLS, TWISTED, SPEAK, and many more) needs your help! If nothing else, SPREAD THE WORD and support your freedom to read!
From the author:
TWISTED still under threat in KY - you can help
The English teacher in KY who has been dealing with the challenges to several books, including TWISTED, has to jump through new hoops before the books will be allowed back in the classroom.
Three of the books: TWISTED, LESSONS OF A DEAD GIRL, and RAPTURE OF CANAAN have again been banned by the superintendent. According to the teacher, he does not feel they are appropriate for college level work, i.e. they do not belong as literature circle selections in an AP English course.
The teacher writes: "The superintendent wants to know that other schools are using these books in the classrooms, not in their libraries. If you all know of ANY schools where any of the listed books are being used, or if you have any evidence that they are "college level" and prepare students for college, PLEASE send it ...."
Here is my plea.
If you use any of these three books in your classroom, please email us.
If you can provide your rationale for any of these three books, please email us.
If you are a college professor and you have knowledge of the teaching of these books, please email us.
If you are or were a student who was taught any of these three books please email us.
Send all your information and comments to my assistant, Queen Louise. Her email is queenlouise AT writerlady DOT com . We'll forward everything to the district in questions.
Thanks so much for all your help with this, my friends.
Three of the books: TWISTED, LESSONS OF A DEAD GIRL, and RAPTURE OF CANAAN have again been banned by the superintendent. According to the teacher, he does not feel they are appropriate for college level work, i.e. they do not belong as literature circle selections in an AP English course.
The teacher writes: "The superintendent wants to know that other schools are using these books in the classrooms, not in their libraries. If you all know of ANY schools where any of the listed books are being used, or if you have any evidence that they are "college level" and prepare students for college, PLEASE send it ...."
Here is my plea.
If you use any of these three books in your classroom, please email us.
If you can provide your rationale for any of these three books, please email us.
If you are a college professor and you have knowledge of the teaching of these books, please email us.
If you are or were a student who was taught any of these three books please email us.
Send all your information and comments to my assistant, Queen Louise. Her email is queenlouise AT writerlady DOT com . We'll forward everything to the district in questions.
Thanks so much for all your help with this, my friends.
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