The Kidlit Gang's Support and Accountability Thread

It's been so cold and wet that we've stayed home and I got a ton of writing done. Yay for the rain!

Did a very final (for now) edit on DORKBOY ready to query. Just tweaking the final chapter today, it has too much dialogue. Somehow I need to figure out how to convey all that info and varying POVs to resolve the friends' conflicts without dialogue, so that I can retain the immediacy of the action (Flea has gone missing and they have to find him before dark).

Worked on it late into the night, then got up early to try again. Thank goodness for computers and Save, Cut & Paste.

Years ago I took my kids to the Roald Dahl museum and we saw some of his handwritten manuscripts. I'm in awe of how he did this by hand. I have so many copies of this manuscript, I can't imagine trying to do it without a computer.

Looks like January will be the big querying month.

Meanwhile, I have a new idea for a picture book that I can't stop thinking about. It started with a crazy thing a kid said to me during improv at our kids' theater. The moment he said it, an image came into my mind. I can see that one page, but now have to figure out the whole story.

I need more improv conversations with this kid. He was a riot and a writer's dream.

Britwriter said:

It's been so cold and wet that we've stayed home and I got a ton of writing done. Yay for the rain!

I need more improv conversations with this kid. He was a riot and a writer's dream.

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Good luck on Dorkboy! Sounds aDORKable. Hahaha. I'm so lame I can't stand it...

I can just imagine your nerves. I'll be approaching that phase soon. January will be beta time for me. I'm so scared. Nobody has ever read my ms, NOBODY. I posted the intro in the Children's SYW forum and only two people have commented in the last week so I'm taking that as a sign that there isn't much to complain about... either that or it's too bad to bother with.

I too have taken advantage of the weather and holidays. I had a week off from work and made ridiculous progress in editing. Only 10K words left.

I'm pretty happy about the dialogue but sometimes I feel it's too much. Can't wait for betas so I'll know. I'm so close it hurts.

DanielaTorre said:

Good luck on Dorkboy! Sounds aDORKable. Hahaha. I'm so lame I can't stand it...

I can just imagine your nerves. I'll be approaching that phase soon. January will be beta time for me. I'm so scared. Nobody has ever read my ms, NOBODY. I posted the intro in the Children's SYW forum and only two people have commented in the last week so I'm taking that as a sign that there isn't much to complain about... either that or it's too bad to bother with.

I too have taken advantage of the weather and holidays. I had a week off from work and made ridiculous progress in editing. Only 10K words left.

I'm pretty happy about the dialogue but sometimes I feel it's too much. Can't wait for betas so I'll know. I'm so close it hurts.

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I read your intro on SYW. I liked it, no new comments to make, aside from the glasses, which I thought was too wordy/confusing for MG, esp in the intro. For MG, you don't want anything at this stage where they are thrown or have to go back to re-read to understand. But several people said that, so I had nothing new to add. It set up a good atmosphere and a little intrigue, for me.

Good luck!

Britwriter said:

I read your intro on SYW. I liked it, no new comments to make, aside from the glasses, which I thought was too wordy/confusing for MG, esp in the intro. For MG, you don't want anything at this stage where they are thrown or have to go back to re-read to understand. But several people said that, so I had nothing new to add. It set up a good atmosphere and a little intrigue, for me.

Good luck!

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Oh no! LOL. You didn't have to go over there and read it. I was merely pointing out how scary it is to let someone else see your work and how difficult it is to see one's own weaknesses. But I am very grateful that you took a look. Thank you for the kind words. It's kind of a bummer that I haven't gotten more feedback to get a collective opinion on the revision, but c'est la vie.

Thank you again and the best of luck when querying.

DanielaTorre said:

Oh no! LOL. You didn't have to go over there and read it. I was merely pointing out how scary it is to let someone else see your work and how difficult it is to see one's own weaknesses. But I am very grateful that you took a look. Thank you for the kind words. It's kind of a bummer that I haven't gotten more feedback to get a collective opinion on the revision, but c'est la vie.

Thank you again and the best of luck when querying.

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No problem, I always like to see other MG.

Well, my goal of a draft by Christmas completely didn't take into account all the sewing and general preparations for Christmas itself. BUT I have just hit 20,000 words on the WIP, and I now have a new goal of draft by January 31. (It's contemp, so it won't exceed 40,000, so that feels really doable.)

I have a few exciting things to look forward to in early January, one of which I have already teased and will share as soon as I'm able, and the other of which is an agency where one agent has read and liked my manuscript but has passed it to another agent at the agency for a second opinion and they are supposed to get back to me in early January. So while I am not getting my hopes up exceedingly high, I also do not feel in the depths of despair, either.

Oh Joy, I'll keep my fingers very crossed for you! It looks like 2013 is going to be a very good year.

I posted in the bounce house that I got my website uploaded today. I'm so pleased to have got it done. It's been a. lot. of. work. I still have a lot of articles to update and put up, and several in the works, but I can work on that bit by bit now. I had contemplated starting a blog, but I think I've decided to treat my articles rather like a blog, putting different styles and types of articles up at any one time. I'll see how that works out.

Meanwhile, I'm about to send off my first few queries, while also playing around constantly with my 35 word pitch for #pitchwars. I actually like this diversity, as I click onto one thing, then when I get brain-freeze, do something else for a while.

And I have a fab idea for a new picture book, which is making me keep bursting into fits of giggles. So, all in all, I'm feeling that I'm finishing 2012 in a good place.

Happy New Year to all other kidlit folks!

Well, my goal of having at least one agent request a partial or full of my ms by the new year didn't quite pan out. However, in two and half months I've spent querying, I did find this site so hopefully after receiving some much needed feedback I can lay out a plan of action. Most likely, it will include some heavy re-writing, so I'm rolling up the sleeves and am ready to get to work.

lolabelle said:

Well, my goal of having at least one agent request a partial or full of my ms by the new year didn't quite pan out.

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Welcome, Lolabelle. For myself, I find that I do better with goals that are within my control - ie querying X number of agents or finishing a draft, etc. But something like an agent's response is out of your control, so so you may be setting yourself up to "fail" at something you couldn't control anyway. (I know it's tempting to think If my manuscript is good enough I'll snag an agent's interest, but that isn't always the way.) Good luck with your revisions in the new year!

Britwriter, sounds like you're in a good place! I hope 2013 is a great year for you!

Welcome, Lolabelle! Love the name. And I'm with Joy--hope for the best, but set goals you have control over, like polishing up the query and first pages, and starting on a new project.

Joy, fingers crossed that second agent agrees with first agent! About damn time, I say.

I've spent a week on a single chapter. Seems like not much progress, complicated by the holidays/family stuff plus computer problems. But when I got to the end of it all, I realized I'd found my theme for the book, which is not something I usually figure out until I'm much farther along and then have to go back and rethink things. Maybe I'm finally getting a handle on this whole plotting business???

*sigh* That would be nice.

I'm at 6K now and hope to reach 10K by the end of vacation. If I get a flash of inspiration, it's an easy goal. If not... it'll take a whole lot of BIC.

Howdy

I started out writing children's books years ago. I was a elementary and preschool teacher for years. Later published in speculative romance. Recently started a steampunk story for kids. So much fun! Don't know what I'm going to do with it as far as publishing. Am on a learning curve.

Added some of you on twitter.

My kidlit twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeckieFCasey

Welcome to the KidLit gang, Beckie! I added you on Twitter

Britwriter - I read your post on the castle... Wish I had the knowhow and abilities to create a website. If EF ever truly takes off I'll need TWO I'm nervous as all hell about the prospect... Good luck with the queries and picture book!

Welcome LolaBelle! I wouldn't be too daunted by this; you should take great pride in the fact that you summoned the courage to send your MS into the world. That's a huge milestone, and one that I share with you this year, so trust me when I say you should still congratulate yourself.

Agents can take anywhere between 4 weeks to several months. My comedic horror short only got a reply half a year after I send it, but when it came back, it had been commented on by the ENTIRE EDITORIAL TEAM, all who had glowing feedback despite the story not being suitable for the publication. So, in my experience, the longer it takes for the agents to get back, the better - where good or bad; it generally means they're seriously considering it. After all, wouldn't you rather they took their time with your baby, or rushed through it and dismissed it rashly? I know which I prefer

I agree with the fine ladies; it's far better to set goals you can control. That way, you won't spend time you could be writing fretting over things out of your control AND you feel awesome when you finish these goals. I know I'm still swelling with pride just for finally finishing a book! Revising is fun knowing that I've abolished such a monstrous obstacle. Things can only get better...!

Judy - congrats on reaching an impressive wordcount, and on your vacation of all times!

I'm hoping to upgrade my laptop with the broken pixels to a better one by transferring the hard drive before New Year's. Then I can finish revising EF without headaches and pinky-green font! Huzzah!

Dave

DavidBrett said:

Britwriter - I read your post on the castle... Wish I had the knowhow and abilities to create a website. If EF ever truly takes off I'll need TWO I'm nervous as all hell about the prospect...
Dave

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Unless you have two very different jobs, I'd say just one website is easier. I did have multiple websites -- three, in fact, until recently. As my career as an educator then as a writer progressed, I found that I wasn't just working in one field, so I found myself building different sites for different audiences.

I then realized that I need to centralize everything on one site, where I shall combine everything and build it up to suit multiple audiences. I bought the new domain name nicolacall.com, and now I'm going to point the other sites to that one website, and build that one website up over time.

Having multiple sites is a lot more work to update each one, so unless you have two very different jobs going on, I'd suggest just getting one domain name using your name.

As I said in the castle, find someone to help you - this is second nature to kids coming out of school and college. For what you need to start out, a high school student could build you a great starte site.

HTH.

Nightmelody said:

I started out writing children's books years ago. I was a elementary and preschool teacher for years. Later published in speculative romance. Recently started a steampunk story for kids. So much fun! Don't know what I'm going to do with it as far as publishing. Am on a learning curve.

Added some of you on twitter.

My kidlit twitter:
https://twitter.com/BeckieFCasey

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Hi!

Nice to meet you. I'll look you out over on twitter. There, I'm @nicolajcall

Nicola, when I said I need two sites, I meant an author one and a real-life version of the Enigma Files (a wiki on the paranormal that's updated by the protagonist).

The second won't come about until I definitely get a publishing deal, hopefully built by a member of the publisher's marketing/publicity department and easily updated by me whenever the books or overarching storyline requires

Dave

DavidBrett said:

Nicola, when I said I need two sites, I meant an author one and a real-life version of the Enigma Files (a wiki on the paranormal that's updated by the protagonist).

The second won't come about until I definitely get a publishing deal, hopefully built by a member of the publisher's marketing/publicity department and easily updated by me whenever the books or overarching storyline requires

Dave

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Ah, then I'd start with a simple author one. Doesn't have to be expensive or complex, but it's a good way to link to your twitter, blog, fb etc. As you say, the other site can come later. Or, can be built into your author site.

That this talk of twitter makes me feel left out. I have a blog, but everyone else is chirping and tweeting about.

DanielaTorre said:

That this talk of twitter makes me feel left out. I have a blog, but everyone else is chirping and tweeting about.

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It took me some time. I lurked a long while. I'm still figuring it out, but I'm surprised by how I've met some cool folks already, and learned a lot. What I need to do now is integrate it into my daily life and working schedule. I think it just takes time to get to know your way around, and the only way you can do that is to jump in.

Britwriter said:

It took me some time. I lurked a long while. I'm still figuring it out, but I'm surprised by how I've met some cool folks already, and learned a lot. What I need to do now is integrate it into my daily life and working schedule. I think it just takes time to get to know your way around, and the only way you can do that is to jump in.

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Hmm. I might just do that. Who knows how much I've been missing out on in the lit world? *rushes off to create a twitter account*

Anybody mind if I start by adding you guys?

DanielaTorre said:

Hmm. I might just do that. Who knows how much I've been missing out on in the lit world? *rushes off to create a twitter account*

Anybody mind if I start by adding you guys?

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not at all. I'm @nicolajcall

I'm having fun adding children's authors, publishers and agents etc on my new kidlit twitter. Finding plenty of blog posts to read!
~Beckie

Hey, thanks guys for bringing up the Twitter subject. I decided to give it a try. It's an untapped (or at least by me) resource for Agents, editors, and publishers. I don't know why I was so reluctant to join before. LOL.

DanielaTorre said:

Hey, thanks guys for bringing up the Twitter subject. I decided to give it a try. It's an untapped (or at least by me) resource for Agents, editors, and publishers. I don't know why I was so reluctant to join before. LOL.

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Daniela, I'm not good at tweeting myself, but I do find it really valuable for following agents and learning about contests, etc. I'd like to get better at tweeting. I do Facebook really well, but for some reason have a hard time figuring out how to engage on Twitter effectively.

JoyMC said:

Daniela, I'm not good at tweeting myself, but I do find it really valuable for following agents and learning about contests, etc. I'd like to get better at tweeting. I do Facebook really well, but for some reason have a hard time figuring out how to engage on Twitter effectively.

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I am the opposite. Facebook totally baffled me, not Twitter. But ITA about how valuable it is. I wouldn't have learned about pitchwars without Twitter, and now am an alternate pick and learned so much from the experience! Plus, finding out about agents, other authors, and what's going on in the book world. I just need now to spend time finding my way around, then find a way to integrate it into my normal day.

Britwriter said:

I just need now to spend time finding my way around, then find a way to integrate it into my normal day.

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Well, that's my problem. Right now, I struggle to find enough time to write. I just don't want to get pulled into one more thing that takes time away from that. Some days I feel my head would explode if I had to do one more thing...

Speaking of how strange the head is... for two days I mucked around, trying to get one or the other of my POV characters to get off their butts and onto their next scenes. Nothing. Zippo. Zilch. Then suddenly at about 12:30 last night, after the neighbors settled down and I was drifting off to sleep, there they were, both of them, chatting away in my head. More ideas than I could actually get on paper today, though I did my best. So in one day, I was able to meet my word count goal for the week--and I know where to start again tomorrow.

Weird.

Also, my villain had to have gender reassignment surgery. I realized that if a young girl was going to be kidnapped and held against her will and tempted to join forces with evil, having it be an older man who did it was getting a bit...squicky. And when I went back through that chapter to switch the pronouns, I realized that it had been a rather feminine voice all along. So it's all good.