I think I'm in denial that it's October.
Still, lots of exciting things in the next couple of months! In fact, on Monday I'll be posting the submission guidelines for our next Secret Agent contest. Our November Secret Agent is also lined up and ready to go...AND, some time in the next couple of weeks, you'll have the pleasure of reading the WONDERFUL success story of Ginger Clark's new client, plucked right here from the pages of Miss Snark's First Victim.
Good stuff! Really good stuff!
Last week you all did such a wonderful job sharing your reading preferences and struggles with internal editors (or not). Everything you share adds to the sense of community and camaraderie we share here.
Keep it coming!
This week? Open floor! Do you have a quasi-personal question for Authoress? Ask away! (I'm not promising to answer, but, yanno, it's worth a try!) Something niggling at your heart? Something you want to share for the encouragement of other writers? Are you happy? Are you frustrated?
Take hold of this week's comment box and have at it. I will sit back and monitor. And maybe answer questions. And definitely drink some coffee.
Happy weekend!
Miss Snark's First Victim
Yay for the success story. If it's the one I think it is, it's definitely something that has me cringing about the kinds of stuff I wrote as a teenager, and I'm also absolutely inspired to push harder at the writing<:
ReplyDeleteAm I happy? Yep definitely. NANOWRIMO is coming up, and I have 30 days left before I get to write a very bad rough draft and not feel guilty about the badness of it. :P
I was just going to ask how many here were planning on doing NaNoWriMo, and here I see there's already at least one other person! Yay! This will be my sixth year, and I'm planning on my sixth "win."
ReplyDeleteThe key, then, is to actually finish the story though, which I've only done once.
Anyway, hi (again) everyone. I've been gone long enough that I'm not sure if there are other Amandas here now or not. I think I am using a different email address than I was before, though.
Question for you, Authoress: How has your blog evolved over the past year and a half? And how have you grown your readership? These may be too long or difficult to answer, but I'd love to hear any thoughts you have.
ReplyDeleteAm I allowed to be frustrated with waiting? I know this is all just a part of the whole writing process, but it still doesn't stop me from being beyond frustrated.
ReplyDeleteAgents have my stuff... they're reading it, and they're AWESOME for doing that, but every day I sit in front of my mailbox and refresh like a noob.
I know the rule--write some more. And, I am totally doing that, but I am still living in a perpetual world of refreshes and worthless excitement every time I get a spam mail for vi0gra!
Help me o wise Authoress... teach me to chillax.
I'm pretty new to this blog, but am really enjoying it so far. The Secret Agent idea is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'll be making my first attempt at NaNoWriMo this year. I'm not a very fast writer, so it should be interesting, and exhausting. Got any tips to help others reach the NaNo goal? Thanks!
I"m very excited about a small victory today: Finishing (and printing out for myself) the first draft of "Cape Cod Surprise," the sequel to "Oliver's Surprise" that's due out next summer. Only other writers can understand how great it feels to "finish" a first draft; my otherwise very supportive Mr. C won't get it because he will have to wait for a more polished version. Hooray for progress even if it's hard to explain! October has always been a very creative month for me, so I'm looking forward to this fall season.
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm planning on doing NaNoWriMo, too! Maybe we should start a club.
ReplyDeleteAnd ~Jamie, it is hard to sit and wait when agents have your stuff and are *actually* reading it. You know what I did? I read. Reading books, and the time it took me to finish those books, made me less anxious about the agents reading my stuff. I figured, "Hey, it took me a day to read that with life interfering, it will take an agent at least three times that to read my partial."
Writing something new never worked for me, I just kept getting anxious about the quality.
Good luck!
I left my 'real' job a year ago to write full-time and to start building a house. In the past year, I've finished two novels, but haven't started the house yet!
ReplyDeleteAs for the waiting game...if you find a solution, let me know. Pins and needles!
October/autumn is my favorite time of year. I'm always inspired by the crisp air and fall foliage. I'm hoping creativity will flow freely during November so I can finish the novel I have in mind for NaNoWriMo.
Thanks, Authoress for your awesome website. I'm new to it and have really enjoyed it.
I know! October already? That's just crazy-insane.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, everyone. Can't wait to hear the sucess story! Love those.
Thanksgiving comes early in Canada and I feel especially grateful, because:
ReplyDelete*One of my critique buddies just made a sale. I'm nearly as ecstatic as I would be if it were my own baby getting pushed from the nest.
*Preparing to teach a semester long writing workshop got me out of my slump and excited again about the massive edit I have ahead.
*Waking up to the raucous cry of gulls and watching the sailboats return to safe harbor makes me happy.
*This website is a delight. Authoress, your sharing helps me remember life is a journey with friends, not a solitary effort.
Now isn't that reason for thanksgiving?
Hi! I have a question: how do you get agents to agree to be a Secret Agent? I'm always reading how busy they are, surely they don't have time for that!
ReplyDeleteThanks
Authoress,
ReplyDeleteI noticed last time Ginger had read and passed on several of the entries already. Because I follow you and many agents on Twitter, I see those you seem to know well. For ex. I guessed Jenny Rappaport was the SA back in the spring.
I'm now wondering if an agent, who currently has my full, might be the next SA. I wouldn't want to take a spot someone else could use or waste my chance to be in a future contest.
Is there some way I could simply ask (privately)the agent's name and you could say yes or no? I swear on a pile of chocolate that I won't say a word if the answer is yes. However, I also understand if this is just too big a hassle for you to take up. I really apprectiate all you do.
Jamie - totally with you on the waiting angst. Only been in that position twice so far, so I don't know if it gets easier eventually - maybe you can advise on that?
ReplyDeleteWhat I do know is that writing some more doesn't cut it for me. I can't write in that frame of mind. About the only thing that seems to work for me is to get online scouring publishing sources for more agents to add to my database, and sending out more queries.
This is a "writer's dilemma" problem. When writing a mystery for Young Adults, must a writer detail police or juvenile detention procedures, or can I simply stick faithfully to the general routines of investigation and/or arrest?
ReplyDeleteI think you might lose your credibility with readers if you don't follow juvenile detention procedures. They are very different than general investigations. You could always make the MC 16 or over so they could be treated as an adult.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!