… That I’m nothing if not persistent.
Let it be known…
January 17th, 2012 by erinThey say a book is never finished…
May 22nd, 2011 by erin
Around this time a year ago, I thought I had finished my story. But after putting it aside for a few months and then looking it over again with the distance that time allows, I realized that it hadn’t yet become the story it needed to be.
So, in the fall, I tackled the entire manuscript afresh, building up the characters’ motivations and making sure that all the story elements were directly connected to the plot and pointed to the main themes I was trying to address: popularity and exclusion, what it means to be “brave,” the painful transition between childhood and becoming an adult, and the complicated relationship we have with our natural environment.
I chopped out every single word that didn’t matter and revised and rewrote the rest. I focused on making the major scenes deliver as big an impact as possible. And I make huge discoveries about my characters. In fact, some of the most crucial elements of Sadie’s character were the last to be introduced, which is pretty crazy when you think of it.
Of course, with every epiphany I had to go back and work the new development into the story, which meant starting at the very beginning and weaving it into the plot in the way that made the most sense. And that would cause ripple effects which would result in further alterations and edits.
Now, nine months after I started my revisions, I can say I’m pretty happy with the results. Finally, I feel like I’ve written the story I wanted to tell.
But will I still feel the same way three months from now? Or will I want to overhaul the whole thing all over again?
… That’s what makes me hesitant to kick this birdie out of the nest.
So, Apparently When You Enter a Contest You’re Supposed to Follow the Rules
April 5th, 2011 by erin
Turns out I left my name in the header of the manuscript I submitted to the ABNA contest — and that, according to the contest regulations which I swear I read in detail (just not enough detail, I guess) is no-no of disqualifiable proportions. So I’m out of the contest now and will have to wait until next year to see if I ever play that game again.
The good news is, through the contest I met three other lovely YA writers and we have now formed an online critique group. A lot of great feedback has come out of this group and I’m overjoyed to be a part of it.
… But next time I enter a contest or make a submission, I think maybe I’ll read the rules twice, just to be sure.
Amazon Breakout Novel Awards — Made the First Cut
February 24th, 2011 by erin
So I entered “The Wild Woman’s Revenge” into the 2011 Amazon Breakout Novel Award contest and am pleased to say I’ve made the first cut.
The field started out as 5000 and 1000 of us made it to round 2 on the basis of a 300-word pitch. On March 22, 2011, the 250 quarterfinalists will be announced, chosen on the strength of a 3000-word excerpt.
Fingers crossed…
Why Johnny Weir, How Did You End Up in My Book?
March 26th, 2010 by erin
One of the characters in my story is a 15-year-old cross-dresser. I don’t personally know any 15-year-old cross-dressers. And frankly, I’m not really sure where this one came from.
I don’t remember how or when Joni Weiner inserted himself into the story. It was near the beginning, when I was plotting out the chapter outlines. I blinked and there he was, waving at me, wearing a scruffy jean vest and long-sleeved black shirt with a pink tutu, knee-length cycling shorts, and pink Converse high tops. “I am so totally going to become Sadie’s friend and steal the freakin’ show,” he told me.
“Dude!” I said. “What the heck are you wearing? You’re going to get pounded if you go into your first day of high school looking like that.”
He just sniffed. “Bring it on. I’d rather be dead than not be myself.”
Which is pretty much the exact opposite of how Sadie feels about life. So maybe that’s where Joni came from — Sadie’s need to know him.
————————
During the Olympics, Betty came to writing group one day with a clipped newspaper article about U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir. She stabbed the picture with her finger and said, “That’s Joni. It’s totally him!”
And I realized she was right. Even though I had never even heard of Johnny Weir before the Olympics, somehow he managed to end up in my book. Joni Weiner (do you see the resemblance? I came up with that name in *2008*) isn’t a figure skater, but he is passionate about fashion and doesn’t give a fig what anybody thinks of him.
“Why try and fit in when you were born to stand out?” he asks Sadie at one point in the book. And then later, “What’s the point of living if you can’t be fabulous?”
… And here’s what Johnny Weir said in a recent interview after some sports announcers said his performance had been given low marks because of his outrageousness, and that he was giving the sport a bad name. (Because male figure skating isn’t down with the gays. What?)
“I’m not someone to cry over something or feel weak about something. I felt very defiant when I saw these comments. I felt like… it was them criticizing me as a person. And that quite frankly pissed me off… I hope more kids can grow up like I did and feel free to be themselves.”
That is so totally something Joni would say.
One person writes, ” As Weir sees the world, there’s no gay or straight — there’s just awesome.”
YEAH. I think the world could use a little more awesome. Don’t you?
David Mamet on Writing Drama – ALL WRITERS MUST READ THIS
March 24th, 2010 by erinA friend of mine on Twitter directed me toward a truly awesome memo David Mamet wrote last year to the writers of a now-cancelled TV series called “The Unit,” which he executive produced.
Anyone who is interested in what constitutes dramatic writing — no matter what the medium — NEEDS TO READ THIS MEMO.
It contains the answers to many of the questions that have rattled around my own head when looking at a scene I’ve written and wondering why it doesn’t quite work.
I am planning to reread this memo often — especially when I’m stuck on writing a particular scene — and if you want to make your work as strong and compelling as possible, I suggest you do, too.
Click here to read Mamet’s words of wisdom.
And if you’re a writer or a lover of good drama, whether in book, TV, or movie form, please leave a comment and let me know what you think of Mr. Mamet’s advice.
Non-negotiables
March 23rd, 2010 by erinA huge thanks to everyone who weighed in on the last post about whether I should make my main character American in order for the book to have stronger appeal south of the border. Your comments gave me a lot to think about.
They forced me to consider which elements of my story I would be willing to change, if asked to do so by a publisher, and which were non-negotiable.
There are many elements in my book that I would balk at changing for fear of making the story less entertaining or meaningful to my audience. But Sadie’s nationality isn’t one of them. In terms of where she lived before moving to Chilliwack, the only non-negotiable is that it has to be a major city. She is an urban girl who is forced to move to the boonies. But really, she could just as easily come from L.A. as Vancouver.
In fact, if I made her American it would allow me greater opportunity to call attention to how primordial the landscape surrounding Chilliwack really is. A girl from Vancouver wouldn’t have the same kind of reaction to those dense forests of mutant Christmas trees and the sharp-edged mountains rising up behind them. They wouldn’t seem so alien.
I would also be able to make a few comments about the Canada-U.S. relationship and how a lot of unfair stereotyping happens on both sides of the border.
Now, I’m not exactly burning to make those changes. Book two is demanding my attention and I’d rather go forward than back But if I was asked to make those changes, I don’t feel like they would make my story less authentic or me less true to my school.
However, don’t try to make me turn Sadie into a cute little five-foot-two cheerleader. Because THAT? Ain’t gonna happen.
The 49th parallel
March 15th, 2010 by erin
How far will I go to get my book published?
I’ve been asking myself that question a lot lately.
Obviously I want my book to do well. I dream about it getting picked up by a publisher and making enough money to help fund the writing of my next book, number two in a trilogy.
And since I’m dreaming, wouldn’t it be great if I could quit my day job and devote myself full time to writing fiction? I’ve got half a dozen stories in my head that are burning to get out of my brain. It seems to be my life’s main irony that when I had all the time in the world to write, I couldn’t think of anything I really wanted to say, and now that I’m a full-time working mom and kids I have little “Ooooh! I want to write THAT!” epiphanies every other day.
So yeah, it would be awesome if I could find a great agent and publisher who would work hard to promote my book to as wide an audience as possible.
But what’s the best way to make that happen?
A friend who recently read my manuscript had this suggestion: “Make Sadie American.”
She pointed out the obvious fact that the best way to get a large audience for this book is to try to sell it to the American market. After all, there are almost ten times more Americans than there are Canadians. It only makes sense.
However, my book takes place in Chilliwack, B.C. And my friend, being an American ex-pat herself, wonders how many Americans are going to be interested in reading a story that takes place in a small Canadian city they’ve never heard of? (Even if it is a story with MONSTERS! And BIRD GODS! And SCARY-GRABBY TREES!)
… My heart sank when my friend asked the question, but I knew she had a point. As a kid, I was less drawn to Canadian fiction than to stories that took place in far-off exotic locations, the more fantastical, the better.
And yet when it comes time for me to write my first book, some subconscious part of my brain insists that it has to take place in Chilliwack. The location is non-negotiable. If push came to shove, I would be willing to change the name to something fictional. (But when you think about it, isn’t “Chilliwack” the kind of name that sticks in your head and makes you wonder what the heck it means?)
No matter what it’s called, the setting of my story must be a small town an hour east of Vancouver, banging up against the mountains that separate the Lower Mainland from BC’s dry interior. It just doesn’t work any other way.
Then my friend made the suggestion of changing the nationality of the main character. “Instead of making her move from Vancouver to Chilliwack, why not have her move from Seattle?” she asked.
I admitted that could be a workable solution and even promised myself that if the first Canadian agent I send my story to doesn’t accept it, I’ll create a U.S. version in which Sadie moves from the States and shop that around to US agents at the same time that I send the original to Canadian agents. Once I see which gets the most bites, then I can make the final decision.
But I have to admit, I’m torn. Even as I recognize the logic of selling to the larger market, part of me resents the fact that I would have to Americanize my main character in order to make her more interesting. So, what — Canadian girls are boring? Even when we’re beset with monsters?
Phooey.
And yet… and yet… There’s a part of me that suddenly started thinking, “No! Not Seattle. California — L.A.! Yeah! Imagine how much MORE of a culture shock it would be to move from L.A. to Chilliwack?
And now my mind is buzzing with the possibilities and I’m kind of excited to explore them further, even though such a change would transform the story into a different sort of beastie altogether. But… maybe… a more interesting beastie?
Gaaagh.
So I’m throwing this question out there:
Would you be more interested in reading…
1. A story about an abnormally tall girl who moves from Vancouver to a small town in the Fraser Valley that’s being terrorized by a child-eating monster out of aboriginal legend? (Plus various other mythical and larger-than-life characters.)
2. A story about an abnormally tall girl who moves from Los Angeles to a small town in the Fraser Valley that’s being terrorized by a child-eating monster out of aboriginal legend? (Plus various other mythical and larger-than-life characters.)
… I’d really appreciate it if you left your vote in the comments.
There are no right or wrong answers to this — I’m genuinely interested to hear which option makes the better story, in your opinion. Because if it’s option 2, then I am heading back to the drawing board double time.
Thanks for your input…
Great (albeit somewhat terrifying) advice for aspiring fiction writers
February 20th, 2010 by erinI just came across this great collection of advice from published authors on how to write good fiction. It’s enlightening and also kind of horrifying. According to some of these authors, I commit some of the most egregious writing errors known to humankind, such as:
- overdoing it with similes and metaphors (my self-esteem has deflated like a punctured balloon)
- using words other than “said” to relate dialogue or — even worse! — using an adverb to modify “said” (HORRORS, she said dejectedly)
- using “then” as a conjunction (I felt badly when I first read this, then as I considered it further I felt even worse)
So now I’m feeling like I need to go back to my manuscript and write the damned thing all over again. Aaaargh.
Cover letter and synopsis, you shall not vanquish me
February 12th, 2010 by erinWell, after about a gazillion edits chapter one has finally earned Betty’s approval — which means it’s time to revisit the cover letter and synopsis.
I had been working on a three-page synopsis and thought it was in pretty good shape. But then I double-checked the submission guidelines of the literary agency where I’m planning to send my manuscript and it turns out they want a one-page synopsis.
It was nearly impossible to reduce my 253-page manuscript to three pages… and now I have to cut it by two thirds? Yikes.
My cover letter was also too long, so I have to go back and revamp that as well.
Here’s the structure Betty recommends I use for the cover letter:
MY ADDRESS
Including phone number
email and website
THEIR ADDRESS
DATE
SALUTATION
1st PARAGRAPH: Explain your story
2nd PARAGRAPH: Explain why you’re the only person who could possibly have told that story.
3rd PARAGRAPH: Describe what they’ll find in the submission package.
Sincerely,
NAME
email address
So after I finish my one-page synopsis I’m then going to have to reduce the essence of that down to a single measly paragraph for the cover letter. Talk about going from the micro to the macro…
