Uh, this is why I don't blog on Saturdays... Sorry! Lemon juice and flour and invisible ink! Ha!
THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES prize package winner: Stephanie Thornton!
THE MAZE RUNNER prize package winner: Lea (YA Book Queen)!
Congrats! Email me with your mailing address so I can get your goods in the mail. (elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com) We'll discuss the personalization of your notebook (colors, fonts, name). And both of you be sure to let me know if you want the ebook or the critique.
I won't be around Monday, so have a great Memorial Day -- catcha on Tuesday!
Before we go all crazy for the final day of the giveaway, be sure to check out my query for CONTROL ISSUES on Matt's blog.
Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some Super-cali-fragilistic-expial-i-docious stuff. And if that's not epic, I don't know what is.
My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.
Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow.
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST.
3. NEW RULE: You must follow Christina Lee's blog, as she's giving away a major amount of amazing jewelry!
Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog AND Christina's blog.
What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??
THE DEAD-TOSSED WAVES prize package:
1. A copy of The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (hardcover)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized (non-scribbled upon, I promise) notebook for all your artistic needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana
7. A $35 gift certificate for a piece of jewelry from Christina Lee (click here for her jewelry site)
THE MAZE RUNNER prize package:
1. A signed copy of The Maze Runner by James Dashner
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana
7. A $40 gift certificate for a piece of jewelry from Christina Lee
Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.) and 3) Follow Christina Lee's blog.
This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Winners will be announced at 3:00 PM tomorrow. Phew! This concludes the Book Deal giveaway extravaganza!!
Thanks for celebrating with me! And next week is going to feel so lamesauce. Le sigh.
GONE prize package winner: Alyssa Kirk!
ENDER'S GAME prize package winner: Jen Chandler!
Congrats! Email me with your mailing address so I can get your goods in the mail. (elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com) Jen, we'll discuss the personalization of your notebook (colors, fonts, name). And both of you be sure to let me know if you want the ebook or the critique.
And be sure to go check out my query letter for CONTROL ISSUES today on Matt's blog.
And dudes! ONE MORE CONTEST goes live today in one hour. And it's going to be...well, just come back and see, okay? Okay.
TODAY'S CONTEST IS OPEN UNTIL NOON (mst).
And my query letter for CONTROL ISSUES is being broken down on Matt's blog today. Go. Follow him. Read. Comment. Whatever.
Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some mind-blowing loot (oh, man. *hangs head in shame*).
My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.
Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow.
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST.
Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog.
What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??
GONE prize package:
1. A copy of Gone by Michael Grant (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook (sans scribbling *embarrassed* You would not believe what my kids do to their notebooks! Don't they know they're like, sacred artifacts or something?) for all your writing scribbling needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana
1. A copy of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana
Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.) and 3) Tell me my hair looks great. (Ha! We'll see who's reading carefully!)
This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Because tomorrow, I have TWO more prize packages to give away! Winners will be announced at 1:00 PM tomorrow. And the new giveaway will go live at 2:00 PM.
Thanks for celebrating with me!
THE GIVER prize package winner: Elizabeth Briggs
UGLIES prize package winner: Shannon O'Donnell
Congrats! Email me with your mailing address so I can get your goods in the mail. (elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com) Shannon, we'll discuss the personalization of your notebook (colors, fonts, name). And both of you be sure to let me know if you want the ebook or the critique.
NEW CONTEST GOES LIVE IN ONE HOUR so come on back!
Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some cray-zy amay-zing stuff (okay, that's worse than epic. Srsly, people! We need another word for epic).
My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.
Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow.
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST.
Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog.
What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??
THE GIVER prize package:
1. A copy of The Giver by Lois Lowry (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Sweet shoulder bag - fits a trade paperback!
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana
UGLIES prize package:
1. A copy of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana
Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.)
And I'm not expecting you to congratulate me over and over. I mean, I like it, but yeah. You can just tell me what you had for dinner or your favorite flavor of bubble gum or whatever. Or just a :) works. I swear I'm not groveling for congrats.
This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Because tomorrow, I have TWO more prize packages to give away! Winners for Day 3 will be announced at 11:00 AM tomorrow. And the new giveaway will go live at Noon (all times MST).
Thanks for celebrating with me!
THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX prize package winner: Karen Amanda Hooper
FEED prize package winner: Holly Dodson
Congrats! Email me with your mailing address so I can get your goods in the mail. (elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com) Holly, we'll discuss the personalization of your notebook (colors, fonts, name). And both of you be sure to let me know if you want the ebook or the critique.
Woot!
New contest goes live at 10:00 AM (MST)... So come on back!
Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some epic stuff. At least I think it's epic.
My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.
Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow.
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST.
Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog.
What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??
THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX prize package:
1. A copy of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Sweet shoulder bag - fits a trade paperback!
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana
1. A copy of Feed by M.T. Anderson (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of thin mints -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana
Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.)
This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Because tomorrow, I have TWO more prize packages to give away! Winners will be announced at 9:00 AM tomorrow. And the new giveaway will go live at 10:00 AM.
Thanks for celebrating with me!
CANDOR prize package winner: Christine Danek!
AMONG THE HIDDEN prize package winner: Karen Lange!
Congrats! Email me with your mailing address so I can get your goods in the mail. (elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com) Karen, we'll discuss the personalization of your notebook (colors, font, name). And both of you, be sure to let me know if you want the ebook or the critique.
Yes, someone's going to publish my book. I can barely contain the tremors, trust me. Since you guys have been around for a lot of my journey, I'm giving away some epic stuff. At least I think it's epic (and we really need to come up with another word for epic).
My book is a young adult dystopian novel in the vein of The Giver and The Hunger Games. Therefore, my giveaways are young adult/middle grade dystopians.
Each day this week there will be two prize packages available. The rules to enter are super-simple.
1. Go to The League of Extraordinary Writers blog. (I'm a co-author.) Follow. Oh, and there's a little giveaway going on over there too...
2. Leave a comment ON THIS POST. Contest is open internationally!
Winners will be chosen from the comments of this post. I will check to make sure the winner has followed the League blog.
What can you win? What can you win? WHAT CAN YOU WIN??
CANDOR prize package:
1. Candor by Pam Bachorz (hardcover)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of peanut butter patties -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Sweet shoulder bag - fits a trade paperback!
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a query critique by Elana
AMONG THE HIDDEN prize package:
1. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (paperback)
2. Matching bookmark created by Elana
3. A box of thin mints -- Girl Scout Cookies!
4. $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble
5. Handmade, personalized notebook for all your writing needs (6 x 9 inches)
6. Copy of From the Query to the Call OR a 10-page critique by Elana
Again, all you have to do to win is 1) Follow The League of Extraordinary Writers and 2) Leave a comment on THIS POST. (Tell me which prize package you'd like most. If possible, I'll give it to you.)
This giveaway will remain open for 24 hours! That's it. You snooze, you lose. Because tomorrow, I have TWO more prize packages to give away! Winners will be announced at 7:00 AM tomorrow. And the new giveaway will go live at 8:00 AM.
Thanks for celebrating with me!
December 2007: Girl is about to turn thirty. That's right. The big 3-0.
Girl decides to write about the first three decades of her life.
Girl likes this writing thing.
Girl writes, girl writes, girl writes. A whole book, she writes.
Girl researches, girl researches, girl researches.
Girl queries, girl queries, girl queries.
Girl waits, girl waits, girl waits.
Girl discovers blogging.
Girl blogs, girl blogs, girl blogs.
Girl queries, girl writes, girl waits.
Girl blogs. Girl shelves first failed novel.
February 2009: Girl enters ABNA 2009 with a new novel. Makes it to the quarter-finals.
Girl screams. Girl celebrates. Girl finds much needed confidence.
Girl rewrites, girl rewrites, girl rewrites.
Girl queries new novel.
Girl waits.
Girl blogs.
Girl revises, girl revises, girl revises.
Girl queries.
Girl waits.
November 2009: Girl signs with the amazing Michelle Andelman at Lynn C. Franklin.
Girl screams. Girl celebrates. Girl finds much needed confidence.
Girl writes.
Girl blogs.
Girl rewrites another novel while waiting and blogging.
Girl checks email, checks email, checks email.
Girl waits. Blogs. Breathes -- involuntarily.
February 25, 2010: Girl gets an email.
Opens it.
Girl can't breathe. Black spots crowd her vision.
Phone rings.
Girl snaps to attention. Looks at caller ID. It's a 212 area code.
Girl shoves peanut butter M&M's at girl kidlet and races upstairs, locking the bedroom door behind her. (Super parenting there! Nominate girl for mother of the year!)
Girl talks to agent.
The email is really true.
Girl.
Has.
Book.
Deal.
Girl screams. Girl celebrates. Girl might faint.
From Publisher's Marketplace: Elana Johnson's CONTROL ISSUES, set in a brainwashed society where those gifted with mind control best join the powers that be, but one rebel girl tries to beat them at their own game, to Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, by Michelle Andelman at Lynn Franklin Associates (NA).
(Girl blogs.)
Girl gets gifts from editor:
Oh yeah.
Sleep. (Girl sleeps. zzzzzzzzz)
Yeah, so I went to a conference last weekend. I presented. It was pretty good, but I had to condense 2 hours of stuff into 50 minutes. I didn't get to tell as many jokes or go off on as many tangents. I did keep the picture of Legolas. *swoon*
But this is not a post about THAT.
No. This is about rising above the shlumpy underachiever. Dan Wells (I Am Not A Serial Killer -- go read it, stat) gave a presentation on story structure. I've heard it before, so I just sat back and relaxed.
And you know what? He's pretty funny too! One of the things he said was "shlumpy underachiever."
I LOL'ed. (The poor people next to me.)
So I'm here today to tell you how to avoid becoming a shlumpy underachiever. Some pointers:
1. Take showers. This will eliminate your physical shlumpiness, thus giving the persona of non-shlumpy. Hey, at least pretend, right?
2. Recognize that you have the Force. This will allow you to become Neo ("I am the One.") or Luke ("Use the Force, Luke!") but in your own special way. You might need to pen a motto for yourself. Mine? "Hey, at least I didn't kill anyone."
3. Share your awesome. This will help you realize that there are a lot of other people out there trying to be less shlumpy too. (I'm dishing on why I write YA here. And I'm one of the prizes in a pretty cool contest thingy here. No, I won't come home with you, but we can Skype...)
What are you doing to avoid becoming a shlumpy underachiever? What could you do better? Me? You expect me to confess? Well, all right. I seriously need to get on the treadmill or I'm going to d-i-e when tennis starts in oh, two weeks. Yikes.
Okay, so yesterday we discussed getting to 100%. I agree that sometimes the 100% shifts and moves as you learn and grow. I mean, it certainly has for me. My 100% last year is certainly not my 100% now.
But it doesn't matter. Because I can continue to do hard things.
Here's a couple of hard things I've done:
- Writing a novel.
- Writing a query letter.
- Querying.
- Getting rejected.
- Dancing. (See clip here.)
There are a lot of hard things in the world. But you know what? This is something I tell my students all the time.
You can do hard things.
So yeah. That's all. I hope I can be the voice in your head if you're struggling with something today, tomorrow or whenever.
What do you think? What's something hard that you've done? Can you do hard things? What makes you think you can/can't?
Okay, so I'm a big believer in going my own way. (Yeah, I like the Fleetwood Mac song, so I hope it gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day. And yes, I am evil.)
I write my books how I want. Past tense, present tense, it's all good. Sometimes in the same sentence. Whatevs.
I give my characters whatever I want. Tech gadgets. Wicked-cool paranormal powers. All at the same time. Nothing's too grandiose for me.
I write my query letters however I want. Sure, I follow some standards, but I can do 3 sentences. 8 paragraphs. Whatever, whatever.
I'm comfortable doing that.
And you should be too. I see (well, hear really) so many people trying to figure out what they "should" do and what they "shouldn't." Or what's "right" and what isn't.
Dude. Get yourself to 100% and then go for it. That's my philosophy. And before you start throwing stones, hear me out.
I research my brains out. I know what queries should be. I know what writing should be. I know, I know, I know.
And then I pick and choose which rules I'm going to follow. The big ones? Yeah, I follow (most of) those. The little ones? Whatever.
I go my own way. I get myself to 100% and then I go for it. I get my MS to 100% of what I can/know how to do. And then I send it out. I get my query to 100% of what I can/know how to do. And then I send it out.
And if you're not at 100% on the MS or the query -- dude! Don't send them out. Get there first, so that when the rejections come -- and they will come -- you'll have the confidence to stay in the game.
Go your own way. Get to 100%. Then conquer.
What do you think? Overconfident? Perhaps. Do you need to be at 100% before submitting? How do you think you get there?
Okay, okay. Don't hate me. But I'm giving you another blog. This one is near and dear to my heart because it's all about YA science fiction/dystopian! (FYI, my book is YA dystopian...)
I mean, how could you get better than that?? (You can't.)
Plus, when Beth Revis is involved with something, you know it's going to be made of epicsauce. (Seriously.) So you go. Besides, you can win signed books and swag and such. (Win = win.)
The League of Extraordinary Writers is run by (almost) five debut YA sci fi/dystopian authors. I know it's going to take the blogosphere to a whole new level of freakishly-awesome.
Oh, and can you tell I started writing again? No? (How can you not?)
I bet you can't guess what I'm doing in my new novel. (Take a guess. Just guess. Um, parentheticals, anyone? Ha!)
(Missed the launch of What Writers Read? Go here to enter to win books!)
Dude, you guys. I've come to a very startling conclusion. Are you ready for it? The only thing that takes longer than publishing is the justice system.
Who knew I've committed this horrible crime? Something so heinous that I'm forced to wait in my writing cave like it's a solitary confinement, furiously typing stories I hope one day will see the light of day.
Well. I have. And I'm willing to bet that if you're reading this blog, you have too. Someone slap on the cuffs!
Because you've written a book.
Seriously, it takes just as long to build a case against murderers as it does to publish a freaking book.
Am I sick of waiting? Yes. No. Maybe. Whatever. I don't even know anymore.
I've decided to switch my mantra from "Hurry up and wait," to "Hey, at least I didn't kill anybody."
What do you think? Which is faster: publishing or justice? And have you killed anyone lately? (Ha! I have killed fictional people. Maybe that's why I'm being punished so severely! I mean, dude. I'm on, like, death row here.)
Okay, so like you don't have enough blogs to read or something. But, you guys, this one rules. And not just cuz I'm writing some of it.
Suzette Saxton, Bethany Wiggins (did you see her book sold to Walker/Bloomsbury??? Ahhh!) and I have teamed up and will be dishing on get this, books.
That's right. Most writers are voracious readers (or they should be). Well, we're no exception. We've each got a page to keep track of the books we read, and we need suggestions! (My page is here.)
Couple that with the fact that we're giving you a million plus one book review blogs so you can find even more amazing books, and this blog is already shaping up nicely. We're going to post about whatever strikes us (about reading and books) whenever we feel like it, so you'll get to see some of the crazy that is Elana, Suzy and Bethany.
And who doesn't want to see that??
I mean, really.
So hop on over to What Writers Read and follow us. You never know what we might come up with! And by that, I mean, if you go over there and follow us, you might could win a book...
And what have you read lately? You are reading, right? I just got The Iron King by Julie Kagawa! Squee!!
Dude, you think you know some people. And by "some people" I mean uh, some people. That wasn't like, fancy code or anything. *grins*
So last week was sort of epic. First there's the whole Do the Write Thing for Nashville. Have you been over there? What Amanda Morgan, Myra McEntire and Victoria Schwab have done is beyond awesome. Be-yawesome? Whatever.
I've learned that when you want amazing things to happen, sometimes all you have to do is ask.
Then there was the Spreading the Awesome event. Believe it or not, I asked several (and by several I mean SEVERAL) people if that whole thing was made of lamesauce before I emailed almost my whole address book.
And you know what? It wasn't so lamesauce. I got over 20,000 hits on my blog last week. Most of those in only three days.
So I've learned that when you surround yourself with people smarter than you (meaning YOU GUYS), fabu things can happen.
I got some amazing stuff from my equally amazing DH over the weekend. And now I feel ready to write again. So what if I lost 37,000 words and most of March and April? I have the tools I need to get back into this thing. Because I have a digital voice recorder and speech to text software.
But on that note, I've learned that my voice sounds really high on a digital voice recorder. Dude, do I really sound like that? But being able to talk to myself about my book is one big pot of boo-yah!
What about you? What have you learned about be-yawesome lately?
Yeah, this isn't going to be about me. I don't want to sit and talk about myself that much. I can practically hear the sighs of relief.
No, this is something else. Something I'm wondering about. I usually run my whacked-out ideas through the Roecker factory, just to make sure I'm not insane. Uh, yeah, I didn't do that. I didn't consult my right hand, Christine. I didn't email Bethany or Suzette, and they usually tell me when I'm barking up the wrong tree.
This is all raw Elana, people. Yikes.
But someone emailed me the other day and asked me a question. And she said something about how I should have an "Ask Elana" feature on my blog. My first thought was, "Are you high?" then I realized that I get a lot of questions from a lot of you. And why not post the answers here on the blog? It's obviously information people want/need to know, right?
So that's my question. Do you have questions you want answered? Anything from "What do you do when an agent asks for your other material?" to "Should I include this element in my query?" to "What happens after an agent offers representation?"
I'm fairly sure I could answer those kinds of questions. If you want to know about say, other stuff, maybe you could Wiki it...
So yes or no? I suppose I'll just throw it out there and let the questions that come in speak for themselves. And just so you know, I'd do it anonymously. I'd simply post the question and my answer to it, not your name or anything like that.
So I suppose you can email my your *gulp* questions. elanajohnson(at)gmail(dot)com.
Whataya want from me??
(*swoon* Adam Lambert) *wink*
Okay, so a few weeks ago, I blogged about my disgusting habit of throwing up the first draft. It's how I roll, pantser-style, yo.
Of course, you can imagine the mess my document is in by the time I get back to it. Hey, I just realized something! Maybe that's why I have like, eight novels on my hard drive that I've never looked at again. They're just too stinky, too much upchuckage. Or something.
But the ones I do get back to opening, oh man. They're beyond mess.
Here's how I go about cleaning up the puke:
1. Print the MS -- divide it into thirds.
2. Read and make notes on tiny post-its. This sounds fancy. It isn't.
3. NOTE: I don't line edit. I don't rewrite -- yet. I'm simply reading to see if things work. They usually aren't even close.
4. Take the first third. Put on the headphones. Pick up a red pen. Sometimes purple. Whatever.
5. Begin massive rewrite. Focus on A) character B) world and C) the writing. Plot points have been addressed on the tiny post-its.
6. When a tiny post-it comes into play, I turn into a decision-maker: Delete? Rework? If so, how? (Yeah, I'll admit that it's easier for me to delete and completely rewrite. My pages bleed purple on both sides when I'm finished. At least it's pretty.)
7. Begin the second part. Repeat steps 4 - 6. And again for the last third.
8. Transfer to the computer.
9. Beg people to read for me.
10. Repeat steps 2 - 8 based on CP feedback.
I can throw up a first draft in 6 weeks, give or take a week. But the clean-up process is much slower. Sometimes up to 4 months, and that's after I've let the vomit cure for a while.
How do you clean up your puke? Do you work on paper? What color is your pen? How long does this usually take you?
Hey, so I heard the wise Laura Rennert say this at the conference I just attended. (Side note: I'm presenting again -- this time at the League of Utah Writers -- this Saturday! Come see me if you can!)
She said, "There are no small deals."
My heart took courage at that. I've sort of been wrestling with something, and I hope it'll make sense.
I know my book isn't going to sell for a lot of money. I could go on and on about why I think that, but I'll spare you.
Let's just say I have a feeling. So here's my question for you:
Does that make my book not as good as one that does sell for a lot of money?
Does the amount of money paid make a book better?
And before you guys get all "That's ridiculous, E," or whatever whatever, really stop and think about it. When you read the deal on Publisher's Marketplace that says the trilogy sold in a major deal, don't you automatically think that book is better than one that didn't?
Just the same way we think some agents are better than others...? Bigger names = better agent, right?
So it stands to reason that bigger money = better book.
I have a firm opinion on this, but I'm wondering what you all think. So tell me! Does bigger money mean a better book? Why or why not? Or is Laura Rennert right and there are no small deals?
Okay, so last week we dished about Non-writers. We know we're a separate breed, and we're totally going to be making more dinner and applying more makeup, right Writers? Right.
So today, I'm going to give you some insight into Writers.
We're made of awesomesauce. Don't believe me? Feeling less than awesome? Maybe you're wallowing in your freakin' freaker mess of lamesauce and not feelin' the love. Dude, get thee hence. And by hence, I mean here: Do the Write Thing for Nashville.
Writers got the word out. Writers donated. People who work with writers donated. And I have it on good authority -- Facebook -- that over $2000 has already been raised. In one day.
Dude.
Writers know how to party. Don't believe me? Did you, uh, miss the Awesome on Monday? All those contests and free books and authorly love? Sigh. It was a great party. And I have another one coming very soon. And I've got something else up my sleeve that is going to be so epic I'm going to have to make up a new word for it. I'm taking suggestions for the new epic.
In case you still don't believe me, you should play this game next week. I've never felt so stupid in my life -- and I enjoyed every minute of it. Here's a description of the game: A cross between cribbage, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, and the New York Times, if the NYT had a scavenger hunt.
If that doesn't make you want to play, maybe you need more awesomesauce.
Writers practice hard. You need proof? I submit the entire month of November. I mean, come on. We go crazy in November. And I bet we could get to like 50,000 words for the week just from the writers that read and comment here. Let's try it, shall we? Leave your weekly word count with your comment. Can we get to 50K?
I'm pretty sure we can. We're like, Michael Phelps or something.
Writers are smart. Who else could come up with the crazy entertaining things we do? And then we write a bajillion words and rewrite them to get all the threads in just the right place. Guess what? Brain surgeons do the same thing -- except they don't get multiple tries. So who's smarter? Yup. Writers.
Yeah, you might not get the creds you deserve from Non-writers. But you'll always get them from me. I think you guys rawk the house!
All the way down.
So I read a lot of blogs. Who doesn't?
I internalize them, especially if they make me experience an emotional reaction.
Enter Natalie Whipple. You may or may not have seen her around. I kinda like her. She's smart. Funny. Photogenic.
We party sometimes.
But this post made me go all emo.
Trust me, I've thought about quitting. Many times. Yesterday even. Generally, in life, I'm a quitter. I quit exercising about two years ago. I quit brushing my teeth for years while I was in high school. I quit playing soccer when I didn't make the high school team. I've quit several jobs in my past.
Yeah, I'm a quitter.
So here's the next thing I'm going to quit: comparing myself, my writing, my goals and my life to someone else's.
And then: I'm going to quit beating myself up because my writing isn't perfect.
Finally, I'm going to quit wishing for something, and work for it instead.
Who's with me?
What do you need to quit doing? Why is quitting sometimes so easy (exercising) and sometimes so dang hard (biting my fingernails)? Riddle me that, quitters!
I know, I know. That sounds like a really bad title. Give me a few minutes, okay? Okay.
So there's nothing better than having writerly friends. They get you, really get you. They understand the voices, the dreams, the nerves, the disappointment, the highs, everything. They party on the ledge with you. They jump when you jump. They offer a parachute when yours doesn't open. They critique, support, laugh and buy dessert at lunch.
There's nothing better than writerly friends.
At the same time, they're part of The Curse. Don't get me wrong, I love ALL my writerly friends. To pieces. And then some.
But sometimes not knowing is priceless.
Here's what I mean by that. We're all on a journey towards publication. And the most important thing to remember is that your journey is absolutely unique. We cannot journey down the same road, even though the destination is the same.
I know this. Believe me, I repeat it to myself every time I hear about someone who's seen their cover, gotten a sneak peak at their book trailer, has a book deal and can shout about it, has a book out already, whatever whatever. And I really am happy for those writerly friends. I'm on the roof, screaming and partying with them. Truly.
Again, don't get me wrong. But sometimes it's easier not to know how fast/slow a book sold. How fast/slow someone got an agent. How fast/slow the art department is at Bloomsbury/Sourcebooks/Penguin/Delacorte.
At the same time, I'd totally feel bad if I didn't know about the journey's of my writerly friends. And thus it's a Curse. This cyclical Curse wherein I find myself repeating "My journey is my own. My journey is my own."
Does any of this make sense to anyone but me? Yeah, probably not. It's probably just the monster in me trying to reconcile internal demons on my own road toward hell publication.
Does anyone else have this Curse? (please say yes, please say yes, please say yes) Is it easier not to know sometimes? Do you feel bad when you don't know, though? If so, you have The Curse. My condolences. *wink*
Holy brown cows!! Wasn't the awesome, well AWESOME, yesterday?? I hope you found a lot of books for your TBR pile and entered contests like crazy.
There's no way I'll ever top my post on Friday or yesterday's epicness (yes, it's a word). So I'm not even going to try. I feel like George Costanza in that episode where he's always ducking out of the room at the high point. And yes, I could quote from a Seinfeld episode in every blog post I write. Can't you? (lol!)
But seriously, a huge thanks to everyone who spread the awesome with me yesterday. Otherwise, it would've been me spreading the a--. YOU are what made it awesome. Well, you and some amazing authors.
*cue cheesy music*
And that's my signal to leave.
I just have one question: What should we do in June???
Today, all over the blogosphere, you're going to be reading about book that deserve ten stars. I'll be gathering the links all day and updating my Recommended Reads page over the next few days. (Note: I have not read all the books on that page. Go read the post by that blog author and decide if the book is one you'd like to read.)
But I do recommend both SKIN HUNGER and SACRED SCARS by Kathleen Duey. Highly recommend. Like, you should stop reading this blog and go get both books.
Aren't those covers beautiful? You can sit and stroke them, they're that great. And the stories inside...Awesome!
They're told from two characters, centuries apart. Hahp lives with magicians and endures cruel treatment as he learns magic. Sadima lives hundreds of years earlier and through her we learn the origins of the magicians Hahp encounters.
It's like that favorite pair of jeans. You settle in to both stories, each like a well-worn pantleg. And I can't imagine the story without both threads, which are so finely interwoven it feels natural and seamless.
And that's some freaking fine writing, my friends. The writing is as beautiful as the stories -- these books definitely deserve TEN STARS!
Not only that, but Kathleen Duey is made of awesome--and has a blog here (not that I'm stalking her or anything...)! Not just because she wrote the most amazing stories on the planet, but because she's going to personalize and sign book plates and send them to one lucky winner! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post -- today. I'll draw a winner tomorrow morning and contact the person for personalization and address issues. Then Kathleen will personalize and sign your prize!
And seriously, guys. Go read SKIN HUNGER and SACRED SCARS, stat. I can't wait for the next book!
Want another amazing book with another awesome author to add to your list? Go check out Christine Fonseca's favorite. And don't forget to check the Recommended Reads list for all the links to all the awesome.
