The Kidlit Gang's Support and Accountability Thread

Eisen

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Hello, just wondering if anyone would be interested in being accountability partners for writing everyday for (at least) 15 minutes a day?? Or some form of schedule? That way, I can check in somewhere (maybe in this thread?) and say yes, I did what I planned to do!
 

Supergirlofnc

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I'm doing a big edit of my manuscript. I'm cutting about 25% I go between being like "yay, I'm awsome, I'm getting it done", and "how am I going to do this!?"

I'm about two thirds finished. I've cut about half and cleaned up the plot a lot. The plan is to be done in four days.

I could use any encouragement thrown my way!
 

DanielaTorre

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Hello, just wondering if anyone would be interested in being accountability partners for writing everyday for (at least) 15 minutes a day?? Or some form of schedule? That way, I can check in somewhere (maybe in this thread?) and say yes, I did what I planned to do!

I Eisen! Welcome to the Support & Accountability Thread and AW in general. Not sure if anyone is up to that sort of thing, as everyone's schedule is different, but you can post here! Good luck with your writing. If you're aiming at a certain word count per day, try 750words.com. They'll track everything from word count to wpm to how long you take between breaks so you can finish writing. Also, they give you badges. :D

I'm doing a big edit of my manuscript. I'm cutting about 25% I go between being like "yay, I'm awsome, I'm getting it done", and "how am I going to do this!?"

I'm about two thirds finished. I've cut about half and cleaned up the plot a lot. The plan is to be done in four days.

I could use any encouragement thrown my way!

I feel you! I'm editing and revising, though I've managed to add rather than take away. I pretty much figured everything out, but I've managed to get all tangled up in my query. I've lost almost an entire day of potential revisions to the actual story because I was tearing my hair out with the query. What sucks is that I had a pretty all right query before, but I was forced to change it when my MC's goal changed. This is absolute frustration!! :Headbang: How is it that writing a 55K fantasy is easier than writing a 250 word letter?

:gaah

There's no way I'm doing WriteonCon. Oh well. I'll attend if I can (I have to work so I'll surely miss everything), but I won't be posting anything. *sigh*

Hope you can get through all those revisions in just four days. Is there any particular reason why it has to be four?
 

Laura J

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I'm there with you all. I am going to attempt to post for Write On Con. I am polishing up this weekend. It has been my goal. I've yet to write or even attempt a query. I keep putting it off. So, I'm hoping to do the 250 and 5 pages, then I'll work on the query. I'm so clueless there. Mostly, it's a mental leap for me to post it there. I cleared my weekend and those two days. So we'll see.

Go Supergirl! You can do it! Keep us posted! Are you doing Write Con also?
 

Supergirlofnc

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I feel you! I'm editing and revising, though I've managed to add rather than take away. I pretty much figured everything out, but I've managed to get all tangled up in my query. I've lost almost an entire day of potential revisions to the actual story because I was tearing my hair out with the query. What sucks is that I had a pretty all right query before, but I was forced to change it when my MC's goal changed. This is absolute frustration!! :Headbang: How is it that writing a 55K fantasy is easier than writing a 250 word letter?

:gaah

There's no way I'm doing WriteonCon. Oh well. I'll attend if I can (I have to work so I'll surely miss everything), but I won't be posting anything. *sigh*

Hope you can get through all those revisions in just four days. Is there any particular reason why it has to be four?


Yes - it's a roller-coaster of emotions! Queries are just hard. I think that's the cold reality of it. Since you changed the MC motivation, maybe rewriting the query is really helping you get hold of that. It's probably a good albeit frustrating thing!

Did you post your query on SYW? If you want any suggestions, I'll help as much as I can.

As for my timing, I have a loose deadline with my editor this week, and I'm back to my day job, too, so I need to finish asap.
 

DanielaTorre

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Yes - it's a roller-coaster of emotions! Queries are just hard. I think that's the cold reality of it. Since you changed the MC motivation, maybe rewriting the query is really helping you get hold of that. It's probably a good albeit frustrating thing!

Did you post your query on SYW? If you want any suggestions, I'll help as much as I can.

As for my timing, I have a loose deadline with my editor this week, and I'm back to my day job, too, so I need to finish asap.

I had a couple of months ago, but it blew chunks. I didn't post up the revised "almost there" version, but I did over at Verla Kay. I was going to post it at WOC but there's not enough time. I don't know if I want to post it in AW either because the QLH isn't genre-specific. Mind if I PM you one of these days to get some feedback?

Thanks for looking out! I hope you get your writing in order and satisfy that deadline with your editor. Now that's what I call motivation. :D

Laura, I look forward to seeing you there!
 

Supergirlofnc

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Thank you, Laura! I'm not doing WriteOnCon this year - but I may in the future. I didn't know much about it until recently. Let me know how it goes!

DanielaTorre - feel free to PM me. I'd be honored to look at it at some time (and I hope I could give good feedback). My sister is pretty great with queries, if you were up for it, I'm sure she'd give some too.
 

Supergirlofnc

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Okay - the more I look at WriteOnCon.com the more amazing it gets. Does anyone know if I can attend some of the events/workshops without signing up? Or can I sign up and just go to the workshops?
 

DanielaTorre

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Jeezy Creezy, I finally did it. I finally finished revising the toughest parts of my ms, including my MC's showdown with the villain. I'm very satisfy on how it turned out. Tomorrow, God willing, I'll be able to sort of two other equally tough points. I say tough because it's not revising a particular scene, per se, it's strengthening certain decisions the characters make. This kind of thing creates a domino effect of sorts, so I have to be careful with consistency.

If I can knock it out soon, I can send it out for another—and hopefully final—beta review. This is exhausting. I'm moving too, so everything's so chaotic.

Crossing my fingers!!!! Next stop, prob Beta forum. To infinity, and beyond! :snoopy:
 

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Jeezy Creezy, I finally did it. I finally finished revising the toughest parts of my ms, including my MC's showdown with the villain. I'm very satisfy on how it turned out. Tomorrow, God willing, I'll be able to sort of two other equally tough points. I say tough because it's not revising a particular scene, per se, it's strengthening certain decisions the characters make. This kind of thing creates a domino effect of sorts, so I have to be careful with consistency.

Wahooooooo, Daniela! Good for you! Now, why aren't you doing any WriteOnCon? You could put the query you're struggling with up - just be sure to say at the TOP of the post that the manuscript is not ready for querying. But you'd still get help. And you should definitely be in the CP match-up section. You'll have much better luck finding other MG writers than in the beta forum here.

Those small things you change that have a ripple effect throughout the manuscript are soooo much harder than writing a whole new scene, IMO. But you can do it!
 

DanielaTorre

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Wahooooooo, Daniela! Good for you! Now, why aren't you doing any WriteOnCon? You could put the query you're struggling with up - just be sure to say at the TOP of the post that the manuscript is not ready for querying. But you'd still get help. And you should definitely be in the CP match-up section. You'll have much better luck finding other MG writers than in the beta forum here.

Those small things you change that have a ripple effect throughout the manuscript are soooo much harder than writing a whole new scene, IMO. But you can do it!

Thanks Joy. BTW, I totally checked out your query and excerpt and it was absolutely wonderful. Keep the name Hayden. It's what I'd name my kids, boy or girl. :D

After reading it, I'm now hit with crippling self doubt. It's so good. FML. This is why I stay away from reading the work of my peers. Bufty is also a ridiculously good writer. I hope he knows that. *sigh* Let me see if I can whip something up at least for the CP section. Though I don't really have time to read anyone else's with the move and all, but maybe I can squeeze it in.
 

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Thanks Joy. BTW, I totally checked out your query and excerpt and it was absolutely wonderful. Keep the name Hayden. It's what I'd name my kids, boy or girl. :D

After reading it, I'm now hit with crippling self doubt. It's so good. FML. This is why I stay away from reading the work of my peers. Bufty is also a ridiculously good writer. I hope he knows that. *sigh* Let me see if I can whip something up at least for the CP section. Though I don't really have time to read anyone else's with the move and all, but maybe I can squeeze it in.

Thank you SO much, Daniela! I hate public critique like that because I'm always swayed by every little thing. Those comments on my query thread actually had me considering changing Hayden to Hayley. But Hayden has a harder edge to it, which the character needs. I appreciate your support!

And you are so sweet - I really, really appreciate it. I look at the feedback I've gotten and only see the people who tell me there's too much telling or the guy who said I needed to explain the title - in the first 250 words. Anyway, I felt the same self-doubt when I read Marieke's queries. Have you read those? Don't. (Or do. Because, you know, they're awesome. :))

For the CP forum, you really don't have to be ready for an immediate exchange. There are people in there who don't have manuscripts ready. Because it's a critique partner matchup, not a beta reader forum, you really find people who are looking to develop relationships. You can say in your post, I'm x weeks from being ready to exchange manuscripts, or I'm in the middle of a move and can't read until X, but people are still looking to connect. You just need a few pages to show what you're about. And you're a good writer. People who read your pages will want to read more. I promise. :D
 

Laura J

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Hi, Laura. That's from my blog. :) Thanks so much for sharing it. Write on Con is so great. I look forward to seeing everyone there!

I love your blog too! Great info! Thank you.

I'm still a little clueless on WriteonCon. I didn't get anything done to add to the forum, but I'm excited for the sessions. I cleared my schedule for the next two days.

I can't seem to choose what to work on. I've got four projects in various stages of completion. I don't know what to focus on. How do you all choose?
 

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Thanks, Joy and Laura. I'm trying to load the blog up with helpful things for writers- things I've wanted to know along my path!

I don't post much here, but I always use it as a resource. :)
 

Supergirlofnc

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Thanks Joy. BTW, I totally checked out your query and excerpt and it was absolutely wonderful. Keep the name Hayden. It's what I'd name my kids, boy or girl. :D

After reading it, I'm now hit with crippling self doubt. It's so good. FML. This is why I stay away from reading the work of my peers. Bufty is also a ridiculously good writer. I hope he knows that. *sigh* Let me see if I can whip something up at least for the CP section. Though I don't really have time to read anyone else's with the move and all, but maybe I can squeeze it in.

I say just ignore the crippling self doubt! Just keep working and revising. Getting though a big scene like that is a big deal.
 

Supergirlofnc

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Thanks, Joy and Laura. I'm trying to load the blog up with helpful things for writers- things I've wanted to know along my path!

I don't post much here, but I always use it as a resource. :)

After Laura posted the link to your blog, I read through some of it and bookmarked it. It's very nicely done.
 

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Thanks to WriteOnCon, my new baby's out in the world. Got a couple requests there, plus sent a handful of queries.

SO, it's time to start something new. I actually thought I'd give myself a few weeks off. But I've got this shiny new idea I'm SUPER excited about. So I'm brainstorming and researching and have a feeling I'll be drafting before I know it. Love when I have something to focus on besides rejections!

What's everyone else working on?

I have to say, and I will keep the identity a secret, but I recently beta'ed a manuscript that was inspired by the skeleton key contest prompt a while back here in the kid's section. I don't think it was a winner in the contest (though it was one of my favorites) but it has turned into a fantastically promising manuscript.

So I know there's a new contest coming up - I don't think I'll enter because I'm all revved up for this new project - but people who are feeling sluggish absolutely should!
 

Supergirlofnc

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A couple of requests! That's great, Joy!

For me, I got my first set of revisions turned in and I'm working on outlining for now. The last week was a very difficult one. It's always fun to work on something new.
 

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Congrats Joy! Two requests is awesome. I did WriteOnCon three years in a row and never got a comment from an agent. There are just so many entries.

I really envy you your ability to forget about your work after you send it out there, and move on to the next thing. I really struggled with moving on to the next project this year. It was the key contest that pulled me out of my funk.

Good luck!
 
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Tromboli

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I got a request for my MG (WIP)from writeoncon too! She knows she'll have to wait and is fine with it. Its exciting to have a full req before I even start querying.

I'm hoping to have it ready by #pitmad (because I don't know if I'll be able to resist)
 

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Ugh. So, I hate updating something like this, but I know many of you were following along and may be wondering if I've heard from The Agent.

Six months ago I had a phone call with an agent (well known, well respected) who had read two of my manuscripts and was incredibly enthusiastic about them. Told me I was a perfect fit with the agency, and lots of others very exciting, encouraging stuff. She wanted extremely minor revisions to one manuscript and more substantive revisions to the other. I did the revisions, I got enthusiastic thumbs-ups from no less than five CP's (all with agents/major publisher book deals), sent them in, and have been waaaaaiiiiiiiting.

Yesterday she rejected me.

To say it's been crushing is a massive understatement.

I know something great could be just around the corner, etc etc, but this is where I'm at today. One of my CP's bought me a dartboard in response. :D Their support and collective outrage has been the one little twinkle of light.

I have just started querying a new manuscript and have four fulls out, but I don't have very high hopes.