The Kidlit Gang's Support and Accountability Thread

I also prefer to do my initial drafting with pen and paper. I find the computer to distracting (I could work on my draft or I could check my email and post on forums and look at stupid GIFs of kittens!) and like David find myself getting too caught up in editing while I write if I draft on the computer.

My goals for 2013:

Finish polishing and submit my PB manuscript
Come up with a new PB draft a month

DavidBrett said:

Also, on paper the best I can do when it comes to corrections is cross out a mistake and place the new word/sentence above thanks to that nifty upside-down Y (see? I always said I'm not technical - what's that called?). So it's become second nature to just ignore most mistakes on paper and ride the creative wave. After all, they can all be addressed when I'm transcribing onto my laptop... When it chooses to work.

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That's actually kind of brilliant... in like that obvious way that I suddenly realize sliced bread is brilliant or whatever. But I have a terrible time trying to edit as I write (editing over and over sometimes) instead of just getting it down on "paper" first. So no actually being able to sit and rewrite constantly would be a useful tool.

Alas, I've lost all the hand-writing dexterity I used to have in school: my hand cramps after a few lines and I can't read a thing I've written.

One of my and the SO's joint resolutions for 2013 is to work on our penmanship and start corresponding, old school, with people. We have to buy stamps!

CelesteBC said:

I also prefer to do my initial drafting with pen and paper. I find the computer to distracting (I could work on my draft or I could check my email and post on forums and look at stupid GIFs of kittens!) and like David find myself getting too caught up in editing while I write if I draft on the computer.

My goals for 2013:

Finish polishing and submit my PB manuscript
Come up with a new PB draft a month

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Ah, I find the computer's distractions helpful. Seriously. I'll be engrossed in writing, get stuck, so click off it and onto twitter or news or email, or another WIP. My brain takes a break, until suddenly I find myself clicking back onto the manuscript and typing before I have consciously thought about it.

If I write on paper, when I'm stuck, I start consciously acknowledging that I'm stuck, so I get more stuck. (Or stucker, perhaps, although that's not a word!)

On the computer, I don't feel that I'm stuck, just that I'm doing something different for a few minutes.

And I have to say, I totally adore Cut and Paste.

heza said:

That's actually kind of brilliant... in like that obvious way that I suddenly realize sliced bread is brilliant or whatever.

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*Takes a bow* My genius is already being recognised.

Blergh. Heard from another agent who liked my manuscript well enough to pass it to another agent at his agency (actually one with more experience than him). I suppose I should be pleased about this, but it's really frustrating because it confirms that it's not that it's not publishable (or represent-able, anyway) but just that everyone thinks it would be right for someone else. This is the third time this particular form of rejection has happened in the last several months.

But oh well. Onward and upward with my WIP.

Also, I get to share some exciting news with you guys really soon! (Not an agent, obvs.) Saturday, I think.

Sorry to hear that, Joy! I can understand your frustration... Although now it's made me aware that referrals/recommendations aren't always amazing when in larger numbers

Yikes Joy. But at least they're reading it. That's good. Very very good.

I can't yet imagine getting to the point of querying. It seems so far away to me considering that I haven't even so much as put the whole thing for beta yet. I got some glowing feedback from someone on the first couple of chapters but they say it lacks focus. I agree. The good news is I have an idea how to tackle this. The bad news is that it's going to set my beta period back by a couple of weeks until I have it sorted out. I've already pushed back the beta period once, but it'll be for the best, me thinks.

Right now, while I let the feedback simmer and contemplate the mechanics of my plan of action, I've started a preliminary synopsis.

Oh Joy, how frustrating! But, if you're getting these sorts of bites, you will get there. How many queries have you sent out?

Daniela, keep editing and reworking. I often lack focus at start, then have to cut all the fluff out afterwards. It's a process, and you'll get there!

I'm working and reworking and working again on my 250 words for pitchwars. One particular part, just three sentences, that my mentor pointed out could be confusing. I've tried changing the order, moving them down, up, sideways, every which way, without adding to the word count. It's soooo hard!

But, I should take my own advice. If I keep working at it, I'll get there. I have 8 days left to do so.....

Britwriter said:

Oh Joy, how frustrating! But, if you're getting these sorts of bites, you will get there. How many queries have you sent out?

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I've got two manuscripts that have fulls out right now - they've both been queried to around 40 agents, maybe 45. Gotten 11 and 12 requests. I no longer believe one thing leads to another, though. I expect I will get there, but I don't know if it'll be on my fifth manuscript or my fifteenth.

JoyMC said:

I've got two manuscripts that have fulls out right now - they've both been queried to around 40 agents, maybe 45. Gotten 11 and 12 requests. I no longer believe one thing leads to another, though. I expect I will get there, but I don't know if it'll be on my fifth manuscript or my fifteenth.

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With those statistics, I'm sure you'll get an agent for one or other. Are you getting any useful feedback from the fulls? If they're getting handed on, I'm sure it's going to happen, when the agent and time is right.

But it must be frustrating - so close yet so far. Hang in there!

Well, I'm relieved! After three or four projects where my agent said "I like it..." but didn't display any overwhelming enthusiasm, I sent her 15K on a middle-grade story and got a reply the next day that said "I love it, keep going, I want to read more!"

Not that she would likely ignore one of those other projects if I was bound and determined, but it's nice to get an enthusiastic thumbs up, since three out of four times, when she's excited, it sells eventually!

...now I just have to go write the rest of the thing.

Britwriter said:

With those statistics, I'm sure you'll get an agent for one or other. Are you getting any useful feedback from the fulls? If they're getting handed on, I'm sure it's going to happen, when the agent and time is right.

But it must be frustrating - so close yet so far. Hang in there!

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No useful feedback on the fulls. Usually pretty glowing praise. But I don't think lots of requests means an agent is coming my way. 8 of the 11 have already come back as no's on MS #3, which was by far the more marketable of the two. MS #4 still has 7 pending fulls, but seems a lot less marketable to me. But clearly, what do I know?

Anyway, I appreciate the support and I hope my cynicism is soon proven wrong.

Joy I am very impressed by your dedication! It must be frustrating to get encouragement without sales, but I am glad that you are still working along.

I write snippets of scenes on my tablet when I get the chance, and then I paste them into my big file on my computer. Today I got to raise my ticker by a thousand words. Little things add up!

heza said:

I write snippets of scenes on my tablet when I get the chance, and then I paste them into my big file on my computer. Today I got to raise my ticker by a thousand words. Little things add up!

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I do the same thing. Whenever there's an interaction between my characters floating around in my head, I write it down in a notebook so I won't forget. Sometimes it's pages of scenes and dialogue, sometimes it's a couple of sentences. Either way, by the time I get to the scene in my ms, the whole things is pretty much done. Awwww Yissss.

JoyMC said:

No useful feedback on the fulls. Usually pretty glowing praise. But I don't think lots of requests means an agent is coming my way. 8 of the 11 have already come back as no's on MS #3, which was by far the more marketable of the two. MS #4 still has 7 pending fulls, but seems a lot less marketable to me. But clearly, what do I know?

Anyway, I appreciate the support and I hope my cynicism is soon proven wrong.

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Do you have any inkling of why? If so, can you email and ask? I emailed an agent who had the full on my original ms, because I had a feeling I knew what the issue was. The agent was charming, and confirmed what I'd thought. It so helped to have that feedback, as I knew then what I had to do. Would there be any mileage in asking, or do you just have no idea?

Not that one of your other fulls might not come through, you still have a number out there! I can see how it could be frustrating though.

Keep writing, and you'll get there.

RedWombat said:

Well, I'm relieved! After three or four projects where my agent said "I like it..." but didn't display any overwhelming enthusiasm, I sent her 15K on a middle-grade story and got a reply the next day that said "I love it, keep going, I want to read more!"

Not that she would likely ignore one of those other projects if I was bound and determined, but it's nice to get an enthusiastic thumbs up, since three out of four times, when she's excited, it sells eventually!

...now I just have to go write the rest of the thing.

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Oooh, that's great! Nothing like a request like that to fire you up to write more!

I'm going in circles with my 250 words for pitchwars. I thought I was just about done, but my mentor pointed out a phrase that is really important, but that might be confusing. I have no extra words to play with, unless I cut something else. And further explanations mean I lose the pace, which is present tense, and fast.

Man, how can so few words be so difficult? I keep going back to different versions, trying again, starting over, but nothing resonates the way the original did. But she's right, it could be confusing.

Maybe inspiration will come if I try to forget it for a few hours and write something else....

Britwriter said:

Do you have any inkling of why? If so, can you email and ask?

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It's generally considered very bad form to respond to a rejection asking for more input. I'm sure there are some agents who don't mind, but it's widely frowned upon, so I wouldn't do it. (Though I'm glad it worked out for you!)

Anyway, I've carefully parsed all rejections with my CP's and there just hasn't been anything useful. I got a new one today, and it was incredibly complimentary of my writing, but said it "skews too quiet for today's middle grade market." I completely get that, but it's not something I can use to improve the manuscript. It just IS a quiet story. I'm not going to adventure-up a quiet contemporary; that's not the story it's supposed to be.

It's okay, though. There's always the next one. Or the chance I'll find an agent who loves this one enough to champion such a quiet story.

Did you get your Pitchwars words worked out?

Nicola, I'm reworking my 250 words to - heck, I'm playing with this rewrite idea, too! If you want, we can swap/share openings via pm...? Fresh perspectives, and all that.

Dave

PS: My laptop is absolutely SORTED! Finally for XP validated & Office2007 installed and likewise validated.

Now to just figure out the intricate differences in Word 2007. For instance, does it read/save docx files, or was that Vista onwards...?

DavidBrett said:

Nicola, I'm reworking my 250 words to - heck, I'm playing with this rewrite idea, too! If you want, we can swap/share openings via pm...? Fresh perspectives, and all that.

Dave

PS: My laptop is absolutely SORTED! Finally for XP validated & Office2007 installed and likewise validated.

Now to just figure out the intricate differences in Word 2007. For instance, does it read/save docx files, or was that Vista onwards...?

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Yes, absolutely! My 250 is driving me nuts. It's just one sentence, but the placement doesn't work, and agggh! I now have about 27 versions....

I got my full m/s notes back from Jennifer today, and it was totally awesome. Two of the main things she picked up were things that had worried me, I'd played around with them, but obviously, not enough. I'm going to have to let go of some darlings!

I"m not sure right now how major all this is until I really start work. I just got my Save the Cat storyboard back out, to plot it again and see what I can do. Doing it on post-it notes will be easier than directly on the manuscript.

I might be adding a chapter to the end, which I'd never considered doing. I really like my ending, but now I wonder if I can create a final chapter that doesn't seem tacked on. I'd never have thought of it until she suggested it as an option.

I'm really excited about now getting down to work. If only I could get the 250 sorted too!

Send yours over, I'd be happy to look.

Glad your laptop woes are sorted. My computer is doing very weird things with Jennifer's notes, so I'm going to have to print them then work from hard copy. Annoying, but, I can't have anyone work on my computer now, I can't be without it for even an hour!

Well I wrote 241 words yesterday, after nearly two months of nothing. It's a start.

Rizdrah said:

Well I wrote 241 words yesterday, after nearly two months of nothing. It's a start.

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Ah. Nothing sweeter than getting back on the track. If you need to concentrate, try sound deprivation. It drowns out distractions with silence and you focus on your thoughts. Just put on a pair of headphones. You don't even have to turn the music on. I feel a bit silly doing it, but hey, it's sillier to stare at a blank screen for hours on end. Good luck.

I on the other hand started my new WIP called Davy Jones' Locker. I'm about 2500 in. I'm so excited about starting something new after a year and a half dealing with magicians. I'm letting the third draft of my last ms simmer before I beta. YES! I've had the idea for Davy Jones for as long as I had the idea for The Magician's Gambit and now I get to write it.

DanielaTorre said:

Ah. Nothing sweeter than getting back on the track. If you need to concentrate, try sound deprivation. It drowns out distractions with silence and you focus on your thoughts. Just put on a pair of headphones. You don't even have to turn the music on. I feel a bit silly doing it, but hey, it's sillier to stare at a blank screen for hours on end. Good luck.

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I could never do that; silence deafens me, the incessant ringing in my head from the quiet driving me crazy. I need at least some music to work to, usually something to fit my moods or the theme/feel of the book at the moment.

Dave