Real Writers Write

Okay, so I went to a keynote address by Mary E. Pearson yesterday afternoon. I heard some great things that really reverberated with me, but the best one was "Real writers write."

Well, crap. I haven't been doing a lot of that recently. But it's okay. I can get back into it. In fact, some dear friends of mine (Suzette Saxton and Nichole Giles) practically held me down and made me pinky swear to write for a certain amount of time. They were like, throwing out "one hour" or "thirty minutes" and I'm all thinking, Can I start with say, one minute? Cuz that's about all I get before I retreat to twitter like we're long-lost friends.

And some of you know my hatred of twitter. So you know I'm really desperate.

In the end, I said fifteen minutes, because that sounded do-able. Until I opened the document. And proceeded to stare.

So whatever. I wrote this blog post instead. Ha!

But here's the pinky challenge for you: how long will you write this weekend? I'm aiming for 15 minutes/day. That sounds like a pathetic amount, but when you've been at zero for days, freak, months, it's pretty high.

So pinky-swear with me. How long will you write each day this weekend? Maybe I'll find motivation in your numbers. I certainly won't want to let any of you down!

Oh! And if you're here for the clue to The League's super-amazing ultra-awesome, super-fabu scavenger hunt, here it is. It's actually TWO clues in one, because the MC's name is mentioned...

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.
~Luke 8:17

Oh, oh! Winners of the amazing books for WriteOnCon will be announced on Monday. Have no idea what I'm talking about? Go here. Watch. Conquer. WriteOn!

What Writers Read

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!!

Gangsta Style

Okay, let's have some fun. First, I'll let you inside my head. I had to go to a meeting a month or so ago. It was not a meeting I was looking forward to. It was summer, I didn't want to go, and the meeting was about making a schedule for a bunch of other people to follow.

Luckily, the three other people in the meeting are some of my favorite people who breathe oxygen. So I'm at the meeting and we're hammering out the schedule. Checking how many kids are in each class. Calling other principals. Reading a chart that someone from Jupiter made, cuz that thing was a beast. In order to read the chart, you had to attend graduate school for four years and obtain two Ph.D's. So since I'm the one with the math minor (not two Ph.D's, mind you) I've got the chart. I finally figure it out and the four of us think we've worked out a schedule that everyone is just going to love. How could they not? (insert snarfage and heavy sarcasm here)

With me still? So since I'm also sort of witty sometimes, (usually only on Mondays, which this meeting was on a Monday) I was designated as the official email writer. So the other three people are dictating and I'm typing the email.

And I happened to give one of the people a nickname. I'm all over nicknames. I really like them. My DH gives them to our kids, his students at school, even me. He calls them rapper names, I call them Gangsta names. Details, schmetails.

So I made one up for this guy. Let's call him Zach Attack. So ever since then, he's been trying to come up with a gangsta name for me. Which, I must admit, thrills me to no end. I've always wanted to have a gangsta name. (In high school, I went by "Lane" or "Lanie" or pretty much anything else that started with an L or an E.)

Problem: my name is, well, not that easily adapted to gangsta style. But he's been working on it with his team. That's right. A whole team. So he comes in the computer lab last week to run a couple of the names by me.

The one we like best: EJ Jamma.

My DH hates it. He thinks E-Jamma would be better. So I need some help. What should my gangsta name be?

Here's some I've come up with for some gangsta friends of mine. If you imagine a gangsta accent and like me swinging my arms with my fingers splayed out and some baggy pants and my hat on sideways and some serious bling, it really helps. Trust me.

Christine Fonseca: Fonz-C. (Yo, yo, yo, Fonz-C. How's the WiP?)

Suzette Saxton: Z-Shizzle (Have your peeps call mine, Z-Shizzle. We'll do lunch.)

Bethany Wiggins: Wigs (He-ey! Wigs is in da house! *imagine the heavy gold chainz and you'll be there with me*)

Michelle McLean: Triple M Stack (Triple M Stack is bustin' out the wordage, yo.)

Heather Dyer: HDMD (Dude, HDMD, keepin' it real.)

So...so many of your are uber-creative. What have you got for a name like Elana Johnson? And this picture totally made me laugh. Cuz, well, E-Jamma and Zach Attack, yeah, we're pretty much like these guys. Can't...stop...laughing!

Associating With Greatness

Okay, since the whole Michael Jackson funeral/spectacle last week, I've been thinking. I know it's a dangerous pasttime similar to skydiving, but hey, sometimes I like to live on the edge.

And I was watching the funeral from my couch, in my pajamas cuz I had it DVR'ed. And there was this woman who had flown all the way from Brooklyn or somewhere in New York just to stand on the street like three blocks away.

This stunned me. I was like, For real?

But why?

I mean, I grew up in the eighties, so I get the adoration of MJ. We (meaning me and my sister) choreographed moves to some of his songs, and who didn't learn Thriller? So I get tuning in to see the funeral, but I stayed in the comfort of my own home. I don't get flying across the country just to stand on the street.

Here comes the thinking part.

And I've finally concluded that it all has to do with Associating Oneself with Greatness. Think about it. Wouldn't you want to associate with Michael Jackson (as perhaps messed up as he was) or Oprah or say, Holly Root or Rachelle Gardner or Jessica Faust or Kristin Nelson or Nathan Bransford?

I would.

And why?

Because we believe they're great.

Enter more thinkage, and a few MJ lyrics.

Heal the world

Make it a better place

So that's my thing. I want to make the world a better place. With my books, my blog, my life. I used to listen to my favorite Michael Jackson song, Man In The Mirror, everyday on the way to school. It helped me to realize that I couldn't change those kids, their life circumstances or make the right choices for them.

But I could--and can--change myself. What I say. Do. Think. React to. Ignore. All of it.

So I've associated myself with greatness. Pat, Heather, Suzy, Carolyn and Mary are the kewlest critmates, blogging buddies and downright best friends ever. They are the epitome of what it's like to live your life intending to make the world a better place.

Christine, Lisa, Laura, Michelle, and Katie make my world a better place with their constant encouragement and uplifting emails. Thanks, guys.

I love hanging out in the QueryTracker forum. I think the people there make the world a better place. I also love going to my Writing Throwdown forum and reading the support people show each other there. That is a small slice of the world that is made better--and most of those people are you guys, the Mindless Musing blog readers. So thanks.

I'll be gone to Yellowstone the rest of this week, enjoying the beauty of this world. I could write a bunch of posts and set them to autopost, but I like to discuss with all of you, so I'm not going to do that.

I'd like to open the blog this week for you to talk about greatness. Who out there has influenced you? Made your life better? Made your world a better place to live? I want to associate with those people. All of them.

I want to be great. And to do that, I must Associate With Greatness.

More Than You Want To Know...

I think I'm going to have every post next week have those ellipses in the title. I seem to do it A LOT. So sorry if that bugs you.

But I thought I'd share some stuff about yours truly in mostly pictures, cuz I'm crazy like that.

What I do for fun:


That's me in the blue jacket. I have a pitchfork. Don't ask. Mary Lindsey is the one with the Grim Reaper scythe-thing. Suzette Saxton is just trying to defend herself. Good times.

I love songs by people with food for their name:

No Rain by Blind Melon

Never There by Cake - dude don't you love Cake? I had their CD in high school, like, forever ago. I was kewl back then, too. *grins*



I like this song too:
Heartless by Kris Allen

And I still adore "Mad World" by this man:



Books I've Read For the First Time (don't judge) In the Past 10 Days:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (I had *panic face* for a chapter or two)
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin (holy world-building Batman!)
The City of Gold and Lead by John Christopher (utterly awesome)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (it is what it is)
The Roar by Emma Clayton (post-apocalyptic, what could be better?)
Gifts by Ursula Le Guin (loved it!)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (shut up)
Gone by Michael Grant (words cannot describe the awesomeness this book is)



I hit one of these this week:


My girl kidlet said, "Mom, you're scaring me." Yeah, I scare myself sometimes.


I had my first experience with one of these:

They're webcams, in case you didn't know. Critique group will never be the same.



My best picture to date:


That's Mary with me. Maybe I look good because she's so cute.


What I learned doing this post: It takes forever to insert pictures into blogger and move them where you want them. My advice? Put in the last one first, then you don't have to drag so far. Freak.

What I also learned: I am amazing when suffering from Avoidance. I tried to get a prescription, but apparently, there is no cure. Dangit.

Other random facts: I've been hovering at 99 followers for three days. I'm going nuts. Someone just follow so I can get on with my life. Please.

I updated my sidebar with Wicked Awesome Bloggers, i.e. people I love to read everyday. There were 39! Thirty-freaking-nine. And I wonder why I have to limit myself to an hour of online time. If I missed yours, let me know. I follow so many....


What I should be doing:


Yeah, I'm in a killing mood right now. It's Jag again. For some reason he brings out the homicidal tendencies I work so hard to repress.

Oh! Talking about Jag made me remember. This is what he looks like:

<--- David Henrie from Wizards of Waverly Place. Yes, I watch it.

Eddie ---> Gilbert from The Next Food Network Star. L-o-v-e the spikes. And the eyesbrows... totally Jag.





And now you know more about me than you should.

One more thing: This blog post took me two hours. I am just that lame.

Have a great weekend!

Interview with Literary Agent Anna Webman

Most of you know that I'm an author of the QueryTracker blog. If you haven't checked it out, you totally should. It's a wealth of knowledge and experience (if I do say so myself).

One of my co-authors, Suzette Saxton, posted this interview with Anna Webman. I'm going to repost it here because it's just that awesome. Enjoy!

I first met Anna Webman last August when I had the honor of sharing some of my work with her. She was an absolute delight to correspond with. When the time came for me ask agents for interviews, Ms. Webman was at the top of my list.

From Curtis Brown LTD's website:

Anna Webman began at Curtis Brown working with Elizabeth Harding, and is now an
associate agent. Anna has a small, select list and is interested in all
categories of children's books authors and illustrators. She is always on the
lookout for first-time authors and is particularly interested in stories with
unique voices with something to say. Her ideal book would be one that has both a
driving narrative and beautiful language. Anna graduated from The George
Washington University and lives in Manhattan with her rescue dog Vinny.You may
recognize some of the interview questions; several weeks ago in a shout-out
to our readers you weighed in on what questions you'd like us to pose to
agents.

Without further ado, I give you the interview:

Why agenting? A lifelong dream, or something that happened serendipitously?

I was raised by a literary agent, so I guess you could say it’s in my genes. I think it took me a little while to come to terms with the fact that I actually wanted to work in the same industry as my mother. When I first began working as Elizabeth Harding’s assistant, I thought I might want to eventually move over to the editorial side. After a few months I was hooked—I really love the business side of things: working with creative people, reading, editing, negotiating, matching author’s works with an editor and a house, and figuring out how best to help clients manage their careers.

What would you like to see more of as an agent? As a reader?

As an agent, I would like to see more quality writing and to sell books that I respond to so immediately and thoroughly that I can’t put them down or stop thinking about them. As a reader, I would like exactly the same thing.What's the most common mistake you see authors making in their queries? I think it’s probably not staying on topic. I get so many queries where authors give a lot of superfluous information about themselves. Track record is significant, but other than that, for fiction, the manuscript should speak for itself. Another common mistake I see is authors not addressing their query letter to me (I can’t tell you how often I receive letters addressed Dear “Mr. Curtis Brown”, “Editor” or “Agent”).

What’s the one thing an author can do to catch your eye? How can authors get agents to look beyond the query letter?

A compelling query letter, with no typos is a good place to start. And then to make sure to send the first couple pages of a manuscript along with the query letter.What is projected to be the next big thing in publishing for children and teens? What trend do you see dying? I really don’t think it’s possible to know for sure what the “next big thing” will be. I think perhaps mysteries because they really have been underserved and there seems to be a market for them—Perhaps what will work for this market is mysteries with other elements-like Scholastic’s 39 CLUES series or Harper’s THE AMANDA PROJECT. Another growth area might be novels illustrated in interesting ways- not graphic novels, but other kinds of illustration with narrative. For example, THE DOLL PEOPLE by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick.

Is it possible to do YA without the "edgy" element? What is too edgy in YA?

Yes! I do absolutely think great YA can be done without being edgy. I shared this with some colleagues and we couldn’t think of anything that is too edgy these days. The canvas is very big and wide open. Perhaps the only caveat is that there should be an element of ultimate triumph/hope rather than despair.

Do you often choose to represent works that only you would personally read and enjoy or do you aim to represent works that you know will sell, even if you don't like them?

It’s a very fine line. I’ve found that I’m most successful in representing authors whose work I either love personally or whose appeal I understand in an intuitive way. However, this is such a subjective business, so I don’t want to limit myself. Fortunately, those also tend to be books that I believe will sell.

With the economic slow down as it is, are you signing fewer new clients and focusing on the ones you already have?

I am still building my list, so I am definitely looking for new clients. Honestly, I don’t know of any agent who would ever say their list is completely full, regardless of the economy. Who wants to be known as the agent who turned down the next big literary phenomenon?

Do you ever get a chance to read for fun? What book do you not represent that you wish you did?

I always to try to be in the process of reading one “for pleasure” adult book (it can take me months to actually complete an entire book). And I’m also constantly reading the current YA, middle-grade and picture books, which is both fun and a great way to stay on top of the market.

If you could offer one piece of advice to aspiring authors everywhere, what would it be?

I think it would be to read as many books as possible in the genre you write, and then be able to openly accept criticism and learn from it.

And now, just for fun, I'll hit you with the Fast Five:

Coffee or tea? Coffee
Courier or Times New Roman? Times New Roman
Cruise or Self-Guided Tour? Self-Guided Tour
3 chapters or 50 pages? 3 chapters
Guilty pleasure? Watching Gossip Girl and shopping online

Anna, thank you so much for taking the time to give our readers a glimpse into the uber-secret world of agents. Readers, be sure to mention the QueryTracker Blog when you query Ms. Webman.

For those of you unfamiliar with the QueryTracker.net main site, everything you need to know about querying Ms. Webman is here, including links to Publishers Marketplace, AAR, the Curtis Brown LTD website, and many others. With a free membership, QueryTracker.net helps you find agents and track your queries. To get up to speed on the what, why and who of QueryTracker, read this post.Have a fantastic week!

Thanks for conducting a great interview Suzette!