I Wrote a Thing! Want to Join Me?

Engin Akyurt

Y'all! I've discovered a site for writers that I think some of you may enjoy. It's called VOCAL, and it allows you to publish your fiction or non-fiction story of 600-2000 words--and maybe make a little money, too.

I've posted my first story and would LOVE for you to go read it (and, if you enjoy it, to "heart" it!).  After you've read it, come back here to read the STORY BEHIND THE STORY! 

PARIAH by Jillian Boehme

STORY BEHIND THE STORY:

Many years ago, I wrote a YA dystopian novel called CITY LIMITS--and it's the novel that landed me an agent after 5 years of trying. (Josh Getzler, for those of you who either weren't here yet or didn't remember.) The market was glutted with dystopian, and the book never sold.

Honestly, I'm glad--because it wasn't as strong as it could've been. There are later drafts, but ultimately I had to shelve it. (You all know how that goes!) As most deserted novels tend to do, this one has lived quietly in my heart, occasionally tugging at me in a wistful sort of way.

The other day, my son DMed me a link to a short story contest--for dystopian fiction. Immediately, I thought, "I already have worlds and characters in this genre." (CITY LIMITS is one of several dystopians I've written.) But then I saw this: "CONTEST CLOSES IN 36 HOURS."

"Do I smell a challenge?" thought I.

So I pulled out CITY LIMITS, drew what I needed from the opening scene, and wrote the rest. The best part about this exercise is that I WAS EXCITED AND ENGAGED ALL DAY AS I WORKED ON THIS. I may have even squealed to myself a time or two. 

I haven't felt this way about writing in a long time. I've definitely allowed the pressures of publishing to steal my joy--and that's on me, not the publishing industry. Writing this short story reminded me that I am a writer and that I really do love writing! Sure, it would be great to win the contest--but I'm already walking away with something of so much value: a refreshed writing heart.

If you need an outlet for your writing that will give you a break from your latest WIP and perhaps infuse you with a piece of your writing heart that you may have lost, I encourage you to check out the VOCAL site. There is a free and a paid option (I chose the latter; we'll see in the months ahead if it's worth it) for membership; either way, they pay you per 1000 reads--and you can receive tips from your readers, too!

If you join, please let me know! 

And if you just took the time to read PARIAH--thank you! New ventures always feel like giant steps; I appreciate your support.

 

Touting a Teen Business

You already know I love teenagers.  (Well, most teenagers.)  And the gang at Write On! is top-notch!

Taryn, teen extraordinaire, is on staff over there; she helps run the chats.  She's also one of my beta readers.  So I was pleased to learn that she's launched her own editing business, and wanted to let you all know about it:

Teen Eyes is the editorial service for your YA manuscript. We bring a dual perspective that your critique partners and beta readers may not have: we are the age demographic of your future target audience--teens--as well as experienced writers ourselves. Kate Coursey is represented by Edward Necarsulmer, head of the children's department at MacIntosh and Otis, and her manuscript LIKE CLOCKWORK is undergoing revisions with Scholastic. Taryn Albright is a querying author with eleven manuscripts written and experience in the publishing world as a lit agency intern. Both are avid readers of every genre, and we pride ourselves on our quick turnaround on submitted manuscripts. To read more about our services, GO HERE.


Yay, Taryn!

And here's my personal blurb:  Taryn beta-read my manuscript in record time, and her notes were clear and helpful.  I was also impressed by the maturity of her editorial insight.  That, and she's simply a delight to "be around." I would love to have her read my work any time!

Two Good Things

Good Thing Number One:

I'd like to direct you all to Jodi Meadows' post on LINE EDITS. Her reactions and responses to her (fabulous) agent's notes and suggestions will resonate with many of you.

Good Thing Number Two:

We're going to do some 1000-word critiques this week, starting today! If your critter fingers are itchy, be sure to carve out a little crit time today. The 1000-word excerpts give us a chance to go a little more in-depth with critique.

For those of you wondering how to submit 1000 words: At this point, I'm not taking any more submissions. The 1000-word critique queue is almost a year old, with 30-40 entries waiting in the wings. I draw from the queue as time permits, always asking the author for a revised version if one exists (it almost always does). Adding names to that list right now wouldn't feel right.

As we work our way through the current list, I'll eventually start taking new submissions. For now, we'll concentrate on what we've got.

So get your red (or blue) pens ready! It's time to jump into a few of our fellow writers' worlds.

Beyond the Basics, Already

I love agents who love to teach.

You know what I mean. Certain agents (and it seems to me the number is increasing) put time into blog posts, interviews, and tweets in order to impart knowledge to aspiring authors. If you want to know how to avoid query pitfalls, how the publishing industry works, or what "voice" means, chances are there's already something out there for you to read. And it's likely written by an agent with a teacher's heart.

It's all good.

But.

I've reached a point (and this isn't a bad thing) at which I no longer need to be told that addressing a query letter "Dear Sir or Madam" or sharing my third-grade writing habits as part of my bio is wrong. I'm a veteran querier; I get requests and everything. I know the ropes.

Really well.

I know I'm not alone. There are many who, like me, understand how this business works. We've learned the rights-and-wrongs, we've polished our work, we've had success--though not ultimate success--in the querying arena. So, more and more, the string of "don't call agents to ask if they accept queries" and "never write back and ask 'why' when you receive a rejection" has become wearisome.

Also, I fear that much of this well-meaning, excellent advice is being preached to the choir. The net-savvy, blog-reading writers (like you) have done the homework, read the advice, learned their way around.

The rest of writerdom is lurking beneath moss-coated rocks, penning queries with otter blood.

Well, maybe not. But the slew of do's-and-don't's must be falling on a lot of deaf ears, because agents are still complaining about the junk clogging their inboxes. Genres they don't represent. Mass-mailed queries with no research behind them. Passive-aggressive responses to form rejections.

It's not going away. Because that sector of aspiring authors isn't reading anything.

I'm sure it's frustrating for the agents who have taken time to instruct and enlighten and still receive the junk. But it's also frustrating for writers who are doing things right, and whose queries are stuck in the mire with the bad ones. Surely this is one of the factors that has led some agents to adopt a "no response" policy.

You know how much I hate the "no response" thing. I won't go there.

So we've got altruistic agents trying desperately to teach the masses, and we've got informed writers who are listening and applying the knowledge. But obviously the query-from-hell problem still exists. Is thriving, even.

I don't have an answer. Only an exhausted sort of "I've heard this seven thousand times" feeling. And a gentle reminder to each of you to please, please be on the winning team here. Learn how to do things right, and do them.

And take a moment to tweet or comment your thanks to the agent who enlightened you.

There. I feel a little better now.

When An Author Gets "The Call"

In the midst of the critiquing, I wanted to pass along this BLOG POST by agent Rachelle Gardner about "The Call" from an agent's perspective.

Rachelle's blog is always well written and thoughtful. Today's post is especially insightful for those of us waiting for the ever elusive "Call" in our own lives.

Share your impressions here!

Kudos From Agent Kristin and Miss Snark "In the House"

I don't know about you, but I'm still glowing in the aftermath of our incredible Secret Agent round.

Well, no, that's not entirely true. I do know you, and I'm certain you're still glowing, too. Either that, or you're exhausted.

At any rate, I want to point out Kristin Nelson's blog post about the contest. Do take a moment to pop over and read it; not only does it offer some extra insight on her critiques, but it bestows quite a compliment on our posse of critters.

Secondly, I thought I'd let you know that Miss Snark herself paid a visit to MSFV last night. You'll find her comment here.

So. Maybe now I'll stop getting emails addressed to "Miss Snark." Because, as I've mentioned many times, I am not Miss Snark. I am her first victim.

It was so nice to "see" her here. (Wait, where did everybody go? Oh, right. You've clicked over to her comment to make sure I'm not having a delusion of grandeur.)

There you have it. Lots of happy-fuzzy-good for this Tuesday morning. Which is just what I need, because a hugely disappointing rejection-of-the-full popped into my inbox not long ago. It was one of those "SO close, but not quite" rejections that make one question the rhythm of the universe.

Well, not really. But it still stinks.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Kristin's blog post...and life in general!

Wonderful Opportunity For Our Secret Agent Subbers!!

If you were one of the 51 participants in our recent Secret Agent contest, this post is for you!

Our own Sarah Jensen has graciously offered to host a REVISED PAGE FEST on her blog next week!

Here are Sarah's instructions:

All participants who have done revisions on their first pages since last week's contests are invited to send their revision 250 words to msfvrevisions(at)gmail.com by Tuesday, January 27 at 9 pm MST. Important: PLEASE INCLUDE THE POST NUMBER OF YOUR ORIGINAL ENTRY HERE ON MISS SNARK'S FIRST VICTIM. Please also include the title/genre at the top of your entry, the same way you did when you entered the contest. Sarah will provide a link back to the original page along with your revised page.

She will begin putting the pages up on Wednesday the 28th and they will be ready for comments on Thursday the 29th.

You will be able to view and critique the revised pages next week at Legend of the Protectors. (I'll post a reminder here.)

Leave your questions here in the comments box for Sarah to answer. And a huge THANK YOU to Sarah for doing this!

FYI: Writerly Auction to Benefit Homeless Teen

Our very own Kathleen Rice Adams (a.k.a. Disorderly) has made me aware of the following, so I'm passing it along to the bighearted among you (which is quite a large chunk, I'll warrant):

Romantic suspense/mystery author Gemma Halliday has put together an auction to benefit a homeless teen and her mother.

Take a moment to stop by and see what it's all about, even if only to see some of your fellow authors at their altruistic best.

Bookmark This!

For your writerly betterment: The new Query Tracker Blog is now up and running -- and running, no less, by the capable hands of several of our regulars here on MSFV! I'm delighted by the potential of this new blog.

Head on over and see who's on the team!

Other contests abound...

...and, for the record, if you ever host a contest that you feel may be of interest to readers of Miss Snark's First Victim, email the link to me and I'll check it out. If it works, I'll post it.

Anyway, a big thank you to Terri Rainer for sending me the following:

For skiffy paranormal authors:

Writers Of The Future, which boasts a $5000 prize potential. No entry fee.

For romance writers:

Agent Scott Eagen's Category Romance Challenge, starting in October.

And for everyone, but only running for a few more days:

The Worst Storyline Ever Contest

So there you have it. Of course, if these fun little contests keep you from your daily MSFV visits, I will have to, ur, boycott them.

No, not really. I'm not that needy.

Enjoy. And see you tomorrow for our Big Day!

FYI: Free Online Workshop For Authors

Our own Karen Duvall has shared the following information with me, and I wanted to pass it along to my faithful readers:

Beginning Monday, July 28, I'm giving a FREE workshop through my blog on
writing effective description. As a visual artist, it's one of my stronger
writing skills, and I'll share a few of my tips. I'm posting one lesson a
day for five days, one for each of the five senses. I'll have daily writing
exercises and those who want to play can post their writing samples in the
comments section, which will be open for discussion.

At the end of the week there will be a prize drawing! What's the prize, you
ask? Well, it's not one of my books, I promise. I have tons of writing
how-to books collecting dust on my bookshelves and I'd love to give some
away. So at the end of the week, I'll randomly draw a winner from among the
commentors who participated in the workshop.

Karen is a recently agented author who has devoted much of her time to critiquing submissions over here at Miss Snark's First Victim. I'm sure she'd appreciate your company during her free workshop -- and you may just learn a thing or two! (We always do when we stick our necks out there.)

Thank you, Karen!