Summer, Luck and the Dystopian Future

Today is the first day of summer in our house, but before I dash off to enjoy the sun with the kids, I have a couple of fun things for you.

Unless you've been living on a different planet, you've may have noticed the rise in dystopian fiction. One of my critique partners pointed out this great article in the New Yorker about what's behind the rise. If you're a fan of the genre or you just enjoy reading it, you should check out the article.

And now, I know what you really want to find out is who won the Basket of Luck...

Congratulations, Marissa!! Email me at solvangsherrie at gmail dot com with your snail mail address and I will send some luck your way!



Have a great weekend everyone!

Page a Day Progress

When I signed up for the Page a Day challenge I knew I wasn't going to be working on just one novel or even just on pages for the novel. I didn't realize I'd end up working on three different novels at the same time! That's usually more than my pobre brain can handle!

Work-in-Progress
I did four pages of free writing on my current WIP. When I free write I sit in front of a blank screen, type in the name of a character and write down everything I know about that person and how they relate to the other people in the novel. I love doing this. It helps me see the conflict between characters and figure out motivations for each person.

Additional pages written on WIP:
Rewrote three pages.
Wrote a whole new chapter (7 pages)
Wrote two more pages that I then turned around and cut.

"Finished" Novel
Is a finished novel ever really done? I went back to the novel I've been querying and made changes from a beta reader, then started submitting the pages to RLGL. Then before turning in the pages for the Sudden Death round, I rewrote big chunks of story, that combined came to about three pages of new writing. It paid off. I won!! Lucky #102 :)

From the Shelf
Then on a whim I decided to enter the Sourcebooks promo with an older book that has me stumped. I'm not sure what to do to make it better so I figured I should submit it for the critique. But when I read the opening chapter, it was clear why people rejected it. So I rewrote the first chapter to the tune of four completely new pages. (By the way, if you haven't already entered this one, you should follow this link to check it out. It looks like they've extended the deadline to July 30. Everyone who enters gets feedback on their pages.)

Total number of pages on Day 23 of the challenge: 23 pages

I'm happy. I've been writing pages, not every day, but equal to a page a day. I'm moving forward and I can see my writing improving.

And did I mention that I won RLGL? Sweet!! :)

If you haven't left a comment for your chance to win the Basket of Luck, make sure you do before midnight on Thursday. I'll be announcing the winner on Friday. I can't wait to send some good luck to one of my "lucky" readers!

Feeling Lucky

Back in March I won an amazing basket of luck from the wonderful StoryQueen, Shelley Moore Thomas. She had received it from the equally wonderful Jackee at Winded Words.

Now it's my turn to pass it on. And wouldn't you love to have this gift basket shipped to your home? It will have two books (see below), a yummy treat from the Solvang Bakery and a special lucky item, like the fantastic luck dragon Shelley sent me.

The books in this prize package are: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter (Don't you feel lucky just knowing that the person you love isn't going to kill you? Always a bonus!) and Savvy by Ingrid Law (one of my favorite books and favorite speakers from SCBWI last summer).

If you'd like to have a turn with the basket of luck, just tell me in the comments something that made you feel lucky or why you think you're lucky. One lucky winner will be selected on Friday.

Happiness is...

going to a book signing for a friend and critique partner. Yay Val!





going to a second book signing for another friend and critique partner. Yay Kim!

finding the new Nathaniel Fludd book at the book store and running into the author before we leave! Thanks Robin for the impromptu signing :)

discovering that my novel is in a 6-way face-off in RLGL. Woo-hoo!! 

substituting for 3rd Grade on the day of the talent show and Fun Day. I can't believe they're paying me for this today!

I guess you could say I've got a lot to be happy for :)
What's making you happy today?

Slash and Burn

Whenever I'm working on a story, I keep a file of cut stuff. Sometimes I'll go back and pull a paragraph or two, but usually the file is more of a reminder of the excess that my story doesn't need.

Yesterday as I cut yet another section from my book, I happened to look down at the word count: 13,251. I've cut thirteen thousand words from a novel that is only 30K! Wow. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing! A lot of the story lines in the cut stuff are in the final version. They're just written differently. Better I hope! But still...

How many words do you cut from a novel before it's ready to face the world?

Submit Yourself

If you've got a novel that is close to ready, you need honest feedback and lots of it. Preferably from people who aren't going to blow sunshine up your a$$.

This week you've got four opportunities for critiques from industry professionals. Try one, try 'em all. Every single one is worth your time.

-----------------------------------------------

Have you ever played the game Red Light, Green Light? Every so often Cynthea Liu offers the "writerly" version on her blog, Writing for Children and Teens. 

Here's how it works:

1. You submit the first 125 words of your novel or PB.
2. Cynthea assigns you a number and posts the results on her blog.
3. If the first 125 words got her interested, you get to submit 250 more words.
4. If her bunny Snoop eats your submission (as in you didn't hook her with your prose), you can start again with a new book.

Cynthea has read more than 180 submissions since she started the game on May 18. Talk about paying it forward! I'm thrilled to have made it through the first five rounds, especially since an agent from ABLA is reportedly hanging around checking out entries as well. June 1st is the last day to enter with new submissions so if you want to get in on the fun, head over to her blog for all the rules and get your submission in before midnight! Everyone who enters gets a free-tique of their work once the game is over. Sweet!

Sourcebooks is also offering a free (sort of) critique as part of a promotion for first time author Steven Markley's new book, aptly titled, PUBLISH THIS BOOK. First you have to buy the book (but come on people, this is WAY less expensive than, say, attending SCBWI! And you're supporting a new author. Bonus!). Then you submit proof of purchase to Sourcebooks along with an outline and the first chapter of your novel (up to 5,000 words). In return, you are guaranteed a critique of your submission. Pretty cool, huh? Submissions must be received by June 9.

And if that's not enough fun for you, check out this opportunity over on Query Tracker. Agent Kathleen Ortiz will critique the first chapter and a one-sentence pitch for 100 Query Tracker followers. Submissions open at 9pm EST on Tuesday, June 1. The first hundred to get their pages in will find out where and why she stopped reading. If she likes your manuscript, she might even ask to see more!

Finally, writer/editor Karen Gowen wants to celebrate her good fortune by purchasing and reviewing your published book. But if you're not published, she will critique the first three chapters of a finished manuscript along with the query letter that you've written to go with it. You need to enter this contest today because she'll be announcing the winner on June 1.

So what are you waiting for? Start submitting!!

The Future of Publishing

Every day seems to bring new alternatives to traditional big publishing. The number of small presses keeps growing. Amazon has expanded its empire to become a publishing house.

Even your agent can be your publisher these days.

Crazy, right? And then there's self-publishing. It used to be a dirty word that made you look like an amateur if you were crazy enough to mention it around people in the know. These days, it's coming up in more conversations, and even authors who have had relative success with traditional publishing houses in the past are finding greater financial success by self-publishing their newer works.

So what does it mean when publishing houses like Harlequin start offering self-publishing services? Does your book get more respect if Amazon publishes it for you instead of Lulu? And what about agents jumping in as e-publishers? Yes, things are heating up!

Here are three recent articles from Publisher's Weekly on recent developments for authors and alternative publishing options. What's your take on the future of publishing?

Agents Weigh the Growth of Alternative Publishing Options
This article talks about J.A. Konrath's publishing deal with Amazon and the new publishing arm of Waxman Literary, Diversion Books. Now your agent can be your e-publisher as well...hmmm...

Midlist Author Tries Hybrid Self-Publishing
When I read this article, it didn't seem like "hybrid self-publishing" to me. When you consider the fact that even if you're published by Random House, you're still going to have to shoulder a lot of the publicity yourself, this doesn't seem like such a bad option.

Barnes & Noble to Offer Digital Self-Publishing
I guess Amazon must be making money from authors self-publishing on the Kindle if B&N has decided to enter the market as well...