To all the other "hookers" out there.

[Miss Java]

Now, I am not meaning "nightwalker" type of hooker, am talking about fellow writers who entered the new hook contest on FFF.

But it did get you to look, now didn't it??


Anyhow, I am just having one of those moments in my writing life where I go to extremes on my writing emotions. One moment I am imagining my hook getting glorious praise, then posting my pages, and everyone ooo-ing and ahhh-ing over them. Then of course, I win the contest, and the prize, and then, of course, Rachel Vater loves my 50 pages so much, that she offers me representation. Oh...and she doesn't care if it isn't done, she just knows by these wonderful first pages that it is a work of art!!

The next moment, the little bubble cloud pops over my head, I slap my face, and tell myself to wake up. What the heck am I thinking!? More than likely it will be the biggest piece of tripe they have read in their entire lives.


Can't I just sit and wait like a good little writer?

Must I torture myself with these self-absorbing, then self-torturing thoughts all the time?

At first I thought that I would be happy, just to get a number (for I was clicking the check mail button all day today). But now that I have a number, I just can't be happy. I imagine them putting mine aside, saying..."ohh, keep an eye on this one!"


Someone just blow up my computer and put me out of my misery. This is just a silly contest for goodness sakes!

[bsolah]

I fantasize about my writing career all the time, good and bad, just like you said. I'm sure other writers do the same. And I think it can be a good thing if you channel it in the right direction.

[gp101]

Who was it, Casey Casum (American T-40 fame) that ended his show with something like "keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars".... or was it "keep your head in the clouds and keep your feet on the ground"? Something like that. Anyway, I think it's healthy if during your ride to work you envision your interview on Letterman explaining how you got such a great advance on your first novel, or that interview on NPR explaining why so many critics loved your prose. Ga'head, and take a walk on the beach and imagine what your first cover will look like, or what you would order for dessert on your first power lunch with your agent and editor. It's a fun diversion from the sometimes agonizing process of breaking into publishing. I do it with no shame. Just make sure you spend more time writing, learning about writing, and writing, than you do dreaming about it. Dream nonetheless.

But while you have your fun, keep in mind the realities of this business. Set your goals as high as you want, but also prepare yourself for a more modest outcome. I think that because we are always dreaming up these alternate universes and fictitious people doing (sometimes) crazy things, it's only natural to fantasize about our own destinies. Just make sure that ultimate fantasy doesn't become your "end-all". You should have more modest (realistic?) aspirations as well as those ultimate aspirations. Be happy with the success you do achieve, but never stop dreaming about even bigger heights, no matter how you define "bigger".

Have fun with your imagination. I would love to be able to retire this year from any so-called "day jobs" so that I could continue my work as a best-seller, writing from the den of my dream house (no, not a mansion, just something that fullfills my own personal desires). But I would still be ecstatic just to land an agent who loves my writing, hooks me up with the appropriate publisher, and gets my book into print, and my writing career into gear. If it turns out to be a profession that supplies me with just a supplemental salary but terrific feeling of accomplishment, and a means to be read, I will be extremely happy. I'll still aim higher, but I will appreciate what I have achieved.

So dream those dreams. Just don't brag about them until you've actually reached your goals. I love nothing more than calling out braggarts who haven't done sh!t yet.

Good luck, fellow dreamer.

[plunderpuss]

Ugh, I know what you mean. But at least you have a number. Haha! I sent mine in at 12:30 a.m. PST since I'd just gotten home from work, and according to their subsequent posts, I should get in easily. But it doesn't stop me from fretting!

I don't think my hook is very good (it's more like a watery synopsis) but that's why I want them to rip it up for me. ^_^ I'm not nearly as indiscriminate about querying agents as Miss Snark tells me, so I have to make it count.

[ChaosTitan]

I'm still waiting on a number, too. :e2cry: I sent mine in at 12:06 am. I know they are still finishing up assigning numbers, but still...

And don't worry about your fantasy, Miss Java. I think I had the exact same one at some point in the last few days. ;)

[Shady Lane]

I sent mine it at 12:16 AM EST...still no number.

I just keep telling myself that some will be much better than mine and some will be much worse...but I'm still so excited for the judging!

[Button]

I believe it's: Keep your hopes high, keep your goals reasonable. Reward yourself with daydreaming about fame and fortune AFTER you get your word count in for the day or when you know you can't write at the moment. Don't do it during your writing time. ;)

[Melanie Nilles]

I missed the time. I would have sent mine--COULD have--since I was up then and we're on central. What happened--baby daughter was fussy and I forgot. FORGOT! After a week of writing and polishing.

Good luck to those who got in the contest!

[Shady Lane]

I still haven't gotten my number! I'm so nervous! I'm worried I sent in to the wrong address or something. It was fangsfurandfey@yahoo.com, right?

[britlitfantw]

I doublechecked, and that is the correct e-mail address. Maybe you could try emailing them and asking them if they received it? Because there is a message at their blog now saying that all numbers have been sent out.

[Shady Lane]

Ah, no worries! I just got my number--55. I wonder why it took so long.

[Novelust]

Hey, I'm number 50! Whoo!

[Billboy]

I am in it too for the critiques.
I believe there is much to learn from your peers.
the tension feels good.
best of luck to all of you who entered.

[Melissa_Marr]

Ah, no worries! I just got my number--55. I wonder why it took so long.

It took a bit longer because all 250 hooks (we increased the number of accepted hooks from 180 to 250) needed stripped of author by the three volunteers. The volunteer for that batch was a touch slower, but 48 hours or so for stripping & passing out 250 entries isn't so bad :) All 3 of the people who are taking care of the coordination are doing a great job, & I'm very grateful to them for their efforts.

[ChaosTitan]

We're grateful for their time and effort, as well, Melissa. Thanks for a quick heads-up on the process. :)

[callalily61]

I got in because I was awake at midnight--the younger offspring wasn't feeling well. (He's just fine now, so I'm grateful to his tummy. :tongue ) I'm number 75! (nerves...butterflies...stress...)

I know it's a simple contest, but in the quotable words of the NYS Lottery: Hey, you never know.

And, Melissa, thank you! We're all grateful to the hard workers behind the scenes! :Clap:

[Shady Lane]

It took a bit longer because all 250 hooks (we increased the number of accepted hooks from 180 to 250) needed stripped of author by the three volunteers. The volunteer for that batch was a touch slower, but 48 hours or so for stripping & passing out 250 entries isn't so bad :) All 3 of the people who are taking care of the coordination are doing a great job, & I'm very grateful to them for their efforts.

Of course! Didn't mean to sound ungreatful. ;)
I'm so excited for he contest!

[Melissa_Marr]

Of course! Didn't mean to sound ungreatful. ;)


I didn't think you sounded ungrateful. :) I was just having a particularly over-grateful moment to them. My co-mods are handling the sorting. I'm not.

When the couple of us who started the group did so, I never thought it would attract so many fabulous authors or such interesting projects. Really, it was just three of Rachel's clients who were all restless at the same time. Looking at where we are not quite 6 months later, I'm just pretty impressed with them.

[Shady Lane]

Well,then I didn't mean to be such a terrible speller, at the very least ;)

[Miss Java]

Now that they have posted 10 hooks, I am afraid that it has become just a bit of a tease for me. <sigh> I was feeling--at least a bit--contented to sit and wait until Monday, knowing at least that I didn't have to obsess about hooks being posted.

So now I am doing the refresh game, just in case they decided to post more hooks.


I have a feeling that I am not going to get much done this week. And knowing my luck, my hook will be posted on the very last day anyway.


Boy am I pathetic.

[Miss Java]

...Refresh...

[Miss Java]

...refresh again...

[Miss Java]

ARGH!!!!!:e2hammer:

[Shady Lane]

Those first ten were good, but not as good as I was fearing...maybe I do have a chance!

*squashes optimism*

[ChaosTitan]

:Jaw:


I was chosen to send pages. Holy mother of....



:banana:

[Shady Lane]

Oh my God, congratulations! What number were you?

[ChaosTitan]

:e2hammer: Sorry! #72. :D

[Shady Lane]

I love 72! That second paragraph is genius. :)

So how do you submit? Do you just email to the same address? Just curious, in case mine (by some terrible mistake, I'm sure) gets advanced.

[ChaosTitan]

From what I recall of the rules, yes, the pages have to be emailed to the FFF email by a specified date. *is still boggling that she's been chosen*

[plunderpuss]

I was chosen to send pages. Holy mother of....

Congratulations! You deserve it, it was a fantastic hook. I'm not your target audience and I was still interested in the book. That says a lot to me.

[Snitchcat]

From what I recall of the rules, yes, the pages have to be emailed to the FFF email by a specified date. *is still boggling that she's been chosen*

Very cool! Congrats!

I believe the 5 pages have to be sent in by 26 April. It's on there somewhere. Ah, here it is: Look for the post on 12 April 2007 @ 09:18 am, titled, "Hook Contest Begins Tomorrow".

The deadline for the pages is in the second underlined sentence.

[britlitfantw]

Chaostitan, that was you?! Talk about brilliant. Now I can say I know one of the "move-on" people. ;)

*shifts to pathetic mode*

Sigh ... although I have thus far avoided looking back at my hook whilst this contest is in session, I can't help thinking, as I read these entries, that I still didn't get it right. When I entered Rachel Vater's hook contest, my "hook" (unfortunately more of a mini-synopsis) was one of the longest, and not in a good way. So I cut it down to size this time, inserting a couple of details that I thought brought out the heart of my MC, included what the main thrust/hook of the story is, and left off with what I thought was a tantalizing sentence about the impossible choices my MC has to make.


Now, though, thanks to looking at the official critiques and also that of the commenters, I can't help but feel that I didn't hit any of it on the mark. Rather than being too long, mine is now too short, and I think my attempts to show the hook and what makes my story different from other sword-and-sorcerery stories out there fell flat. I'm looking forward to what people have to say (particularly as my hook was one of the unlucky ones that didn't get a single response from any commenters at Rachel Vater's contest), and hopefully I'll glean something from that.


Meanwhile, I focus on schoolwork and finishing the darn rewrites. :)

ETA: I just wrote a (f-locked) blog post that inadvertently helped me figure out what was missing from my hook (essentially the internal conflict that makes things so hard for my MC), and I even wrote down some juicy bits of description that I think will make the next draft of my hook very succulent. Or at least more so than it is right now. So between what I just came up with and the comments I will receive in the near future, I'm feeling much better. :D

[SinkFulloDishes]

Congratulations!!! :hooray:

[Novelust]

Congratulations, Chaostitan! That was a good hook.

Hey, Tori - you're in good company. I'm not so confident about my hook anymore, either. I think I lost a lot of my story's uniqueness in shortening and simplifying. I just want to know the verdict, at this point. *Is dead from the waiting*

[ChaosTitan]

Thanks, guys! :D

britlitfantw, I'm glad you figured out your hook. They are damned hard to write, and the brilliance (or lack of) of the hook often has little to do with how well written the actual novel is. <---why I'm freaking out about pages now.

Good luck to everyone still waiting to hear! :Thumbs:

[Shady Lane]

My book is just so different than anything else that' s been posted...it's just straight YA, no science/urban fantasy, so it's going to stick out like a sore thumb...in every connotation of the phrase. Ah damnit.

[SinkFulloDishes]

My book is just so different than anything else that' s been posted...it's just straight YA, no science/urban fantasy, so it's going to stick out like a sore thumb...in every connotation of the phrase. Ah damnit.

Mine's also just young adult, and I think there were a couple of others so far as well (one that I'm sure of, as I've read the manuscript). What's your number? I'm 160.

[Shady Lane]

55. You haven't been judged yet, right? We can wait it out together. ;)

[Shady Lane]

They just posted 48-59, except for 55! I'm dying!

[SinkFulloDishes]

Mine actually turned out to be #106; somebody typed it in wrong in my email. It was posted this morning. Didn't make it to the pages round, but the critique was great and told me exactly what I needed to know. I'll be keeping an eye out for #55!

Liz

[Shady Lane]

106 was yours?? I LOVED that hook. It sounds exactly like a book that I would love. I can't wait until your book comes out and I can read it!

[SinkFulloDishes]

106 was yours?? I LOVED that hook. It sounds exactly like a book that I would love. I can't wait until your book comes out and I can read it!

Thanks! I'll be sending out some queries this week, so keep your fingers crossed :). I tend to gravitate toward sibling and sibling-like relationships in my writing (must be the Hinton influence, haha).

Liz

[Shady Lane]

^Ah, god, that Hinton influence is in everything I write. Goddamn her, being so fantastic. ;)

Sounds like we have similar taste in YA. (The hook I submited is a brother/brother.)

But, God, I thought mine would at least be original...but there's already been one hook with an immaculate conception and one with a Gabriel, both things I thought would be in just mine (what are the odds, right?)...I'm just hoping the judge who reads mine is different than the one who read either of those!

Still not up yet...

[britlitfantw]

Hey, Tori - you're in good company. I'm not so confident about my hook anymore, either. I think I lost a lot of my story's uniqueness in shortening and simplifying. I just want to know the verdict, at this point. *Is dead from the waiting*

Well, at least my waiting is over and done ... (number 142). I think I have a nail or two left. Which number are you? Has it gone through yet, or are we still watching for it?

Shady Lane, I'm watching for yours as well! I can't wait.

Liz, congratulations on the good critique!

Chaostitan, thank you, I appreciate the thought. I'm starting to understand the sentiment that the query letters are more dreaded than the novel itself. ;) Best of luck with your pages!

[Novelust]

Well, at least my waiting is over and done ... (number 142). I think I have a nail or two left. Which number are you? Has it gone through yet, or are we still watching for it?


I was number 50 - the verdict was decent on the idea, though apparently I have a lot of rewriting to do on the hook. :) It's just as well; I'm not even done with the book yet.

[britlitfantw]

*reads it*

Interesting plot! I agree with the judge that it sounds like a complex, promising story. Good luck with it! :)

[dmytryp]

novelust, I actually thought the last version you posted in SYW was better in some ways than the one in the contest. The judge did say he was on the fence about moving you into next round.
Good luck with the novel. It sounds fun

[Shady Lane]

Well, at least my waiting is over and done ... (number 142). I think I have a nail or two left. Which number are you? Has it gone through yet, or are we still watching for it?

Shady Lane, I'm watching for yours as well! I can't wait.

Liz, congratulations on the good critique!

Chaostitan, thank you, I appreciate the thought. I'm starting to understand the sentiment that the query letters are more dreaded than the novel itself. ;) Best of luck with your pages!

Aw, thanks. :)

Monday night and it's still not up! I'm getting antsy!

[midwife]

I am reworking my first 5 pages tonight and I am surprised at how nervous I am. I feel like my pages will flop spectacularly and there is a small part of me that wants to chicken out....

I'm still shocked I pulled off a decent hook (246)...Months of reading Miss Snark I guess.

[Shady Lane]

No chickening out aloud! You're going to fantastic. Don't worry! I loved your hook and I'm sure your five pages are killer.

*...still waiting....*
gahhhh watch them forget mine...

[callalily61]

Chaostitan, congrats! :hooray:

I was #75. Didn't make it, but got good feedback.

[Shady Lane]

Yes! Mine finally went up. No pages for me, but I got a great critique, and I think my judge thought it had promise, which is nice.