The Few, The Mighty

I'm feeling like it's about time to sing the praises of the small but consistent cadre of people who give their time over and over in the form of critiques.

No, I'm not mentioning names.  It's interesting, because these things go in cycles.  I'll see familiar names over and over again, and then things will shift and I'll see new familiar names.  It's as though, as time goes by, this blog is continually supported by a gradually-changing-yet-always-constant group of writers who are truly the lifeblood around here.

So.  THANK YOU.

Thank you for giving and giving and giving.  Thank you for critiquing others when your own work is not up here.  Thank you for offering help to aspiring authors when you, yourself, are already published.  Thank you for helping aspiring authors when you, yourself, are not published.  Thank you for coming back again and again, giving your time and expertise.  Thank you for not being afraid of saying the wrong thing.  Thank you for making this community a priority, for whatever reason.

Yes, I do notice you.  I do see your screen name in my inbox.  And others notice, too.

You know who you are.

This is a large, growing community.  The number of daily visitors, particularly during contests and critique sessions, far surpasses the number of actual participants.  While this ratio is no big deal on a regular blog post (like this one), since it's normal for more people to read than to comment, it is a big deal when it comes to critiques and contests.

Not so much with the reading-vs.-critiquing.  I know there are a lot of you out there you are uber-beginners, and this blog is a learning tool for you.  I WANT YOU TO BE HERE.  It's okay if you're quiet; it's okay if you haven't taken the critique plunge yet.  One day, when you're ready, you will.

What makes me say "hmm" is the contests and critique sessions in which there are 100 or more entries, yet the comments that the winning entries receive don't reflect this number.  And I'm thinking...if you're willing to enter a contest, are you willing to critique even if your entry doesn't make it in?

Food for thought.  Because, if you're far enough along to be seeking critique, then you're probably far enough along to be giving it.  I do request that all entrants in contests critique a minimum of 5 other entries, which I feel is fair.  Critiquing is time-consuming, and expecting folks to critique 49 excerpts simply because theirs is the 50th would be...inhumane.  And would probably ignite mutiny.

But if you enter and don't get picked?  Please consider offering your critique, anyway.  (And, hey.  Many of you already do this.  I'm just trying to peel the wallflowers from the wall.)

I believe you all have something valuable to share here.  You're writers, yes?  And writers are a wonderful breed.  (Not that I'm biased.)

This blog will continue to thrive in the strength of the few and the mighty.  But imagine what we could become if everyone stepped up.

(Oh, how I love this community!)

On Comment Box Cheerleading

Sometimes chats ensue in the comments that beg to be addressed.  Because, yeah--I care about this community and your thoughts on what goes on here.

So I noticed the comments on the apparently larger-than-normal amount of cheerleading that went on during this month's Secret Agent contest.  Now, it's no secret that there's NO WAY I have to time read every single comment.  Yes, they all come into my inbox.  Yes, I randomly check them.  But I trust you all to a) be good critters and b) let me know (privately) if anyone is being snarky or troll-y.

Because I will kill a snarky critique faster than you can say Embittered Writer.

(Cheerleading, on the other hand, isn't nasty or ill-intentioned.  So it's not something I will ever delete.)

Let me say, first of all, if you have ANY concern about the critique that goes on here, to please email me.  Don't throw it into the comment box (especially a comment box that would be better used as a place to thank our Secret Agent) or grumble among yourselves.  TELL ME.

I may or may not agree.  But I will definitely take your concerns seriously.  Because I want as many people as possible to be happy and comfortable here.  (Yes, I mean that.)

Secondly, I want you to know that, while I believe cheerleading is kindly meant,  I DO agree that it's not the best use of comment box space during Secret Agent contests (or any other online critique session, here or anywhere else).  Here's why:

1.  Critique sessions exist for a specific purpose: To provide USEFUL FEEDBACK for the serious writer.  We all know how vital this is.  And, despite how it may stroke our egos, a string of "This-is-so-fabulous-wait-til-you-guys-read-the-whole-story-like-I-already-have" is not USEFUL FEEDBACK.

2.  Public encouragement does not carry greater weight than private encouragement.  You all know that I am ALL ABOUT ENCOURAGEMENT!  We all desperately need it, and I try to provide it here on a regular basis.  But if you want to encourage your crit partner or writing buddy or best friend whose excerpt happens to be in our latest contest, PLEASE DO IT PRIVATELY.  I can assure you that it will be equally appreciated.

3.  As writers, we should strive to present ourselves professionally at all times.  And constant cheerleading during a session that calls for USEFUL FEEDBACK does not come off professionally.  At all.

4.  Fluffy comments about how awesome you think something is, without a stitch of helpful critique added, provides NOTHING USEFUL for the hundreds of people who are reading these critiques to learn more about what works and doesn't work in their own writing.  Imagine the serious, neophyte writer, reading an excerpt and forming his own opinions about it, but wondering what other, more "experienced" writers might think.  Scrolling through the comments and seeing nothing but a bunch of "Yay, you!" and "Your story rocks, girlfriend!" isn't going to teach him anything.

Mind you, there is certainly a difference between cheerleading and commenting honestly that you think an excerpt was well-written.  Pointing out the positive is as helpful as pointing out the negative.  So please don't think I'm asking you to stop saying nice things.  Heaven forbid!

But I think you all know the difference there.  I love that so many of you are connected with writers whom you genuinely like, and whose work you believe in.  These are powerful, important connections!  But the comment boxes of an online critique session or contest isn't the place for pompoms.

So please bear this in mind when you show up to critique.  Thoughtful crits take time; I view them as a loving sacrifice from whoever offers them.  And that's what this place is about--giving to each other and receiving in our turn.  That's why there's been so much growth here...so many success stories!  This isn't a magical blog with special powers; it's a vibrant community of dedicated writers who are PAYING ATTENTION, WORKING HARD, and GROWING!

And I adore you.  Thanks for listening.

From Pantser to Plotter?

I wouldn't go that far. Despite my increasing penchant for planning, I can't deny my natural bent toward organic writing.

Still, I've been letting you in on my authorly journey for some time now, so I thought I'd share some visuals so you can see just how PLOTTERISH I'm looking these days.

I am in the midst of a fairly large revision. While staring at 30 chapters, extensive notes, and a blinking cursor, I decided the best course of action would be to break the chapters into their individual scenes. It took me a whole afternoon at the vineyard, and it was SO. BORING. I don't do well with tedium or anything remotely repetitive, you see.

But I persevered. And ended up with 144 lavender notecards, as such:


Yes, that's a Scrivener screen shot. It's too tiny to read the words, which are mostly cut off because of the size of the cards, anyway. But a simple click on each card reveals the bullet items I included on each to let me know exactly what's in the scene. Part of Scrivener's coolness is that you can drag the cards around. So changing the location of a particular scene is easy.

As I finish each chapter, I color-code the corresponding scene cards. That way, I can see the chapter breakdown at a glance. If I decide at some point to move a scene from one chapter to another, all I have to do is drag it and change its color.

At any rate, I've completed nine chapters so far. So my bulletin board now looks like this:



Isn't that pretty? The uber-dork in me gets all excited each time I get to choose a new chapter color. And the anal retentive administrative assistant in me (yes yes, I used to BE one) is all excited by the high level of organization here.

So there you have it. Breaking the novel into its smallest components has been HUGELY successful so far. Those of you who already use the write-in-scenes approach may be rolling your eyes at my slowness. No matter. I'm absolutely giddy over this.

Mind you, this is a completed novel. I haven't tried my hand at scene-plotting a new story. My brain doesn't work that way! But my love affair with colored notecards is flourishing, and I heartily recommend it to any of you who are feeling overwhelmed with a large, looming revision. Each completed scene feels like a wonderful accomplishment -- even if it's only 280 words long. And you all know how important those little psychological boosts are.

Happy plotting, happy scening, happy editing, happy revising, happy WRITING to you!

Public Service Announcement

A quick note to everyone who has entered a Secret Agent contest prior to the advent of the automated system, and to everyone who has ever sent me an email to which I've responded:

Over the past month, I've received an usual number of spam emails from various reader addresses. I know it's someone phishing, and I know none of you are at fault. I'm just wondering at the connection here, and thinking that maybe you ought to change your passwords for safety's sake.

No harm done on this end. But so many of you seem to have been hacked lately that I felt a kind of motherly (?) concern for all of you.

So consider changing your passwords. And if your account gets phished, make sure you report it right away.

*hugs*

Is A Tiny Bit Enough?

Mr. A and I have had a disagreement. (Shocking, I'm sure.)

I shared with him my advice to you about writing every day, even if it's only half an hour. Heck, even if it's only fifteen minutes. Because 200 words or 50 words or TEN words are more than zero.

And so you creep steadily toward your goal.

"That's not enough time," Mr. A declared. "You can't get anything creative done in such a short amount of time."

I understand where he's coming from. He's a musician. Composer. Producer. Film maker. All the things at which he could EXCEL if he didn't have to make a living. Doing other things he's good at BUT DOESN'T LOVE.

I've preached at him over the years. Get on a schedule, I've said. Let's pick evenings on which we're both working, I've said. I could, yanno, WRITE while he creates music or videos or whatever happens to grow beneath his fingers.

He's resisted. Because he's one of the most disorganized people I know. (Aren't most artists?)

And yes, it's hard to imagine getting an entire song written in 30-minute intervals. Hard to imagine mastering Adobe Premier in 30-minute intervals.

But the alternative is to not do anything at all. Zero minutes = zero results.

I love Mr. A with all my soul. Yet I believe he's wrong.

I am also a musician. I majored in music education with a piano concentrate. I practiced for hours daily. Truth be told, I resented the reading and studying I had to do for my classes--especially the non-music classes--because it took away from my practice time.

And I was good. Not fantastic. But good. Dedicated. Winning scholarships along the way because of my piano playing.

My worst fear was to become a musical has-been. Surprise! I'm a musical has-been. But that's because I'm not supposed to be a full time pianist. I'm supposed to be a full time writer.

Here's the thing, though. My Baldwin upright sits in the corner, out of tune and sadly neglected. If I were to make the decision to sit down for thirty minutes a day and practice my scales and arpeggios, my fingers would get back into shape in no time. I'd be able to sit down and play my favorite Mozart and Beethoven sonatas and Chopin waltzes without sounding like I was missing a few fingers.

It wouldn't take much! And I'm sure I could find the 30 minutes if I looked hard enough.

But it's not my main passion anymore. And while it would certainly FEEL GOOD to get my fingers back into shape, it wouldn't be the best use of my time.

So, yes. I have the musician perspective. Which isn't so different from the artist perspective or the dancer perspective or the composer perspective or the actor perspective. Or the writer perspective.

The arts require daily feeding. Large increments would be wonderful, but most of us don't have that luxury. So we settle for small increments. Which can be VERY PRODUCTIVE if we're committed to them.

Of course, we can always plan for big chunks of time to dedicate to our creative passion. Setting aside an entire Saturday for writing. Choosing one evening a week to hire a babysitter and have a writing marathon (don't scrapbookers do things like that?). Using one or two vacation days to give ourselves a personal writing retreat. But aside from all that, those small, daily rations keep us going.

Prioritize. Plan. Feed your passion. Write your novel.

Then come on over here and brag about it. I'll be happy to applaud your accomplishment. The one you achieved one daily writing session at a time.

On Writing As Career

If you write without a burning desire to be published, this article is not for you.

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with the I-write-because-I-love-it-and-getting-published-doesn't-matter mindset. If that describes you, then be true to yourself and write to indulge the deepest passions of your heart. It's all good.

But if you, like me, aspire to be published--not just hope to, but intend to--read on.

By now, you've got the basics down: Keep writing. Edit your work. Send intelligent queries. Repeat. It's possible to do all this while living the rest of your life--whatever it is you do to make money, foster relationships, run a household, save the world. Time management skills are as essential as your determination to Never Give Up.

(I've gotten pretty darn good at the Never Give Up part.)

Something might be missing, though, and I encourage you to think hard about this:

Do you view your writing as a career?

Be careful. I didn't say "future" or "possible" career. I said CAREER. As in, now.

I know. When we think "career" we think "full time" and "salary" and "three weeks' paid vacation" (if we're lucky). And scribbling away at a novel every day doesn't fit the description. Not even remotely.

But here's the challenge: As aspiring authors, we should view our writing as a career BEFORE IT BEGINS TO GENERATE INCOME. Before the world looks at us and says, "Oh! You have a career as a writer!"

And here is why. Aside from the obvious creative outpouring, "being" an author is a business decision. Yes, it is! We must learn the industry, hone our professional skills, communicate effectively, brand ourselves, meet deadlines, produce consistently sale-able products.

(Yes. A novel is a product.)

If we go about our writerly business with the "someday" attitude, it will keep us from the kind of forward motion we need to truly prevail, truly forge ahead toward our goal of publication and ultimate success as an author, whether on a large or modest scale. It will affect our productivity, our drive, our long-range vision.

And it will make it easier for our I-have-no-idea-what-it-means-to-write-novels friends and family members to chuckle up their sleeves at our "little hobby."

Hobby indeed.

I have no idea what your daily life looks like. You may work sixty-hour weeks in the corporate world and have to relegate your writing to a fifteen-minute slot before bed each night. You may be at home raising five children under the age of nine and getting up at four each morning just to write in peace and quiet for a little while. You might travel extensively, you might be running your own business from home, you might be unemployed. I do not presume to know you; I do not pretend to walk in your proverbial moccasins.

It doesn't matter. No matter what the rest of your life looks like, writing is your career. NO MATTER WHAT.

And I firmly believe that making this mind-switch will change everything for the better. Because I've seen it in my own life. Want to know how?

• I meet deadlines. Yes, they are self-imposed. But they're firm. And everyone knows authors must write to deadlines.
• My productivity has increased. Writing to deadlines helps, of course. But so does prioritizing my writing time, which I treat like a job. No appointments, no meetings, no errands, NOTHING else during my writing time. I'm "on the clock."
• Emotional responses to rejections have greatly diminished. Because it's my career. Not my lifeblood.
• I can talk intelligently about publishing--the process, the industry. There's no Gray Veil of Mystery anymore. (Yes. There used to be. You know this.)
• I take myself seriously as a writer. I don't "apologize" when I need to write. I don't blush or squirm or sigh wistfully if someone asks me about my writing. This is my career. It's what I wake up ready to do. Ups and downs and all of it.
• My confidence has increased. Not in an aren't-I-fabulous way (good grief, no). But in a This Is What I Am Good At way. And an I'm Getting Better Every Day way.
• My writing has improved. Not only because I've worked hard and paid attention to the critique of people I highly esteem, but because I am focused on my writing as a career. Not something I love to do whenever I find time.

So. Whether you have to carve out your writing time during your lunch hour or you enjoy the luxury of one full, eight-hour day of uninterrupted writing each week, make it your CAREER. Don't make excuses. Don't let your day job suck the life out of your writing. Don't procrastinate. Don't keep your current project on the back burner because "life has been too busy."

Have you watched a one-hour TV episode lately? Played a video game? Spent forty minutes picking out just the right ringtone for your iPhone?

Yeah. I thought so.

WRITE. Make it your career today. Now. Even if your current employment demands a lot. Even if you're nursing a five-month-old. Even if you're in the middle of planning a wedding or a graduation or a trip to Guatemala. Careers don't simply happen. We make them.

Writing is my career. Is it yours?

On Reader Rants and Breaking the Rules

There's a reason I haunt the pages of my stat counters. I find links to blog posts like THIS. With a tip of the hat to Screaming Guppy.

Aside from colorful language choices that wouldn't find their way to my blog, I nod my head in emphatic agreement with the author. In fact, I had to chew the inside of my cheeks for a day or so before typing this. I didn't want anything to come out, yanno, overly snarky.

Because I love my blog readers. I do.

But I have to say this, so bear with me.

The inboxes of agents and editors are littered -- LITTERED -- with inappropriate queries. By "inappropriate" I mean unprofessional, unresearched, neophytic pieces of poo that SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SENT.

No, really.

And because of this poo overflow, the professional, carefully researched queries are buried in the muck of why-did-I-take-this-agenting-job-in-the-first-place. Imagine, if you can, the difference between reading a good query with FRESH, INVIGORATED eyes, and reading a good query with TIRED, I'VE-READ-A-BOATLOAD-OF-CRAP-ALREADY eyes.

You KNOW not to send your query to an agent who doesn't represent your genre.

You KNOW not to send your query IF YOUR MANUSCRIPT ISN'T EVEN FINISHED YET.

And you KNOW that I trust you to follow the same rules on this blog. Not because I'm "special." Not because I want to be an agent when I grow up. (I don't.) But because IT'S THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE IN THE PUBLISHING WORLD.

If you think it's okay to bend (or ignore) the rules in a blog contest, might you be tempted to do the same when you start querying? Or have you (gasp!) already begun to do the same whilst querying?

If you think you're successfully sneaking in a snippet of your unfinished manuscript just because you're dying for some early feedback, might it have escaped you that YOUR FLOPPY WRITING WILL SHOW?

And if you somehow grab the attention of the Secret Agent with your UNFINISHED MANUSCRIPT, do you think the agent is going to break into an exuberant happy dance when you tell her you haven't actually finished the story yet?

My blog has an honor system attached to it. There is no way I can police you; no way I can determine whether your manuscript is actually finished when you decide to enter the contest. If you break that trust, make your own rules...well, I can't stop you.

But as a fellow writer, I've got to point out that this is So. Not. Cool.

Think about it. Most of my contests fill up within the first ten minutes or less. I have to turn people away -- people with POLISHED, FINISHED MANUSCRIPTS who deserve a chance to have their carefully edited, I've-followed-the-directions work seen by the Secret Agent. If you get in with your unfinished work or I've-fudged-the-genre-just-to-squeak-in excerpt, YOU HAVE TAKEN THE PLACE OF SOMEONE WHO QUALIFIED FOR IT.

And that's what happens in agent inboxes. Every time an aspiring author breaks a querying rule (if you don't know them, LEARN THEM), it takes valuable time and energy from the agent doing the reading. And the agents can't stop the behavior, either. They just keep wading through the poo.

My agent empathy level has risen exponentially. And I don't even have to send rejection letters.

Well, unless you count the horrid "I'm sorry, the contest is full" emails I need to send. HATE that. Really hate it.

So. Learn to follow the rules EVEN IN THE SMALL PLACES. Like here. If you can't do that, what's going to stop you from breaking the rules when you're ready for the big query leap?

Honor. Integrity. Professionalism. It's all a part of being someone WITH WHOM PEOPLE WANT TO WORK. And along with writing a great story, you need to be one of those people.

Feel free to purchase a copy of AGENT: DEMYSTIFIED right now, to assuage your guilt. And if you're not guilty, and haven't gotten your hands on a copy yet, grab it anyway. You'll be glad you did. It's agent-endorsed, reader-loved, and it's got my SECRET HISTORY in it. (No, not my name. Just my history.)

The collective potential here is ASTOUNDING. I mean that. And I want each of you to rise to your own. It's an honor to be a part of your daily blog reads and your journey toward publication. Step up, raise the bar, and be even better than your best.

On Knowing Whether It's "Ready"

It's a question that plagues every writer-with-a-finished-manuscript. Am I ready to query? Have I done all the editing I possibly could?

Fear of failure, at this juncture, will only serve to paralyze you. So it's important that you have a balanced combination of I know I can always make my work better and I have worked hard and I'm ready to throw this out there.

While I can't comment on each individual author's process-toward-success, I can certainly comment on submissions to the Secret Agent contests. I'm not going to comment on individual submissions, and I am not referring to any one submission in particular when I say: I think some of you may have jumped the gun. Honestly? I don't think you did it on purpose. But here are a few pointers to bear in mind prior to our next Secret Agent round. And remember--when you submit here, you should be ready to submit to agents. All the prizes are related to the Secret Agent's reading your work. And if it's not ready, you're wasting the agent's time (and your own).

So. The Secret Agent contest is not yet on your horizon if:

• The manuscript isn't finished. 'Nuff said.
  
• This is your first draft. I know you're elated to have a finished story in your hands, but there's a long, long road of edits before you.
• You haven't gotten any outside feedback. Family members don't count.
• You haven't let the manuscript rest for a while and gone back to it for another round of edits.
• You're not sure of the genre or reading level of your story.
• You're not sure what a literary agent does or why you might need one.
• You're not ready to hear anything negative about your writing.

I think that covers the main points.

What if you've gotten some outside critique and you're still not sure? Well, in my opinion, if you're hearing the following, you still have plenty of work to do:

• "Overwriting" or "too many adjectives" or "too many adverbs"
• "Problems with tense/sentence structure/grammar"
• Your writing is "confusing" or "hard to follow" or "convoluted"
• "No voice" or "inconsistent voice"
• Writing sounds "amateur" or "young" or "inexperienced" or "awkward"

If you'll notice, the above all have directly to do with the WRITING. Not with the story. And certainly not with you, personally.

Signs that there are problems with the actual story are comments leading toward "plot holes" or "can't suspend disbelief" or "no character development" or "doesn't make sense." You catch my drift.

Do I have time to read each entry carefully and determine whether it's "ready" for the barrage of public critique that will follow? No. That's why I'm placing this squarely on your lap, where it belongs.

Because "your lap" is where it sits each time you query an agent. Best foot forward and all that.

Okay? I want you all to SUCCEED. Let's get tough with ourselves and really dig into our work. Then, when we post it for critique, we'll get so much more out of it. The "bad fluff" will be long gone, and our best writing will have an opportunity to become even better.

Whew. End of topic.

And now I'm going to tie up some loose-ish ends and get ready to celebrate my birthday tomorrow. Oh, yes. And it's going to have chocolate in it. Chocolate frosting, actually--on vanilla cupcakes. And someone else is making them for me.

Does it get any better?

I am seriously obsessive about cupcakes. Even over cashews.

I think.

What do I want for my birthday? An agent. Followed rapidly by a huge book deal. If you can arrange that for me, please send me an email before midnight.

You're all awesome! See you tomorrow.

Ah, How You All Inspire Me!

'Tis true!

Your comments yesterday were so helpful, insightful, thought-provoking, and, yes, inspiring.

I've never done NaNo, so my questions were borne from an honest desire to learn what "cooks" inside you when you do this. It's fascinating to read your different approaches; some outline, some would rather cut their arms off than outline. Some crave the imposed deadline, some just write and let the word count average itself out each week. Some have gone on to edit the results into a workable novel, others haven't.

Lots to think about! Thank you for your responses. Lots of nice, juicy, long-winded ones thrown in there. Gotta love that.

And on the "how you all inspire me" note, here's what I'm working on (thanks to Luc):

I really do like the "let's do a whole chapter for one reader at a time" concept. If it's done sparingly, it'll work. So I've set up a board on RallyStorm by invitation only. I'm thinking, if you want to include your first chapter at some point, you send me an email asking for an invitation. And as long as you're not some scary creature posing as an aspiring author, I'll let you in.

Once you're "in," your chapter will be "thrown in the pot" whenever I choose one at random (as in, names in a hat sort of thing). You won't have to "resubmit" your chapter if you do major edits before getting a turn, either, because I won't ask for the actual chapter until your "number" is drawn.

How does this sound? Could you give me some feedback before we actually go live?

Many humble thanks!

Call For Submissions...And A Little Idea Brewing...

Let me throw out the idea first.

Obviously we can't have Secret Agent contests all the time. (We've got another one coming up in October, by the way!) Our in-house crit sessions are rewards in themselves -- we all value the input from our colleagues. More than one of you have shared that the feedback has led to improvements in your writing. Good, good, and very good!

But wouldn't it be fun to once in a while offer a prize to a colleague-chosen "best entry" in one of our crit sessions?

Of course, I don't have bags of cash lying around with which to purchase prizes. So I'm thinking...how can we do this?

If I were to install a "donate" button, would you be inclined to give a dollar every once in a while?

(Though I'm thinking...how could I have a "donate" button and remain anonymous? Suggestions?)

Or...might some of you, from time to time, have something to offer? A copy of one of your published books, for instance? Or an extra, perfect-condition copy of one of the "writing bibles" that should be on every writer's shelves?

Chat to me about this in the comments box, please.

In the meantime, here's this week's submission call:

Talkin' Heads:

Submit a 250-word excerpt highlighting DIALOGUE. Choose a section that includes a character or characters with a dialect, speech impediment, or some other distinction of speech that sets the character apart. (Note: this may be subtle!) Our goal? See if our readers can "stick with" the character and not be distracted by the speech quirks. (Think Mark Twain's black characters -- and then don't do that.)

IMPORTANT: Please preface your excerpt with ONE OR TWO BRIEF SENTENCES that set the scene and let us know who is speaking!

So your formatting should look like this:

TITLE
GENRE

BRIEF EXPLANATION (one or two sentences)

EXCERPT (250 words)

I will accept entries until 9:00 am EDT on Thursday, September 25. I'll be posting them the same day. (Obviously I'm not expecting a huge turn-out! *grin* But do give this some thought. I know it's a bit...esoteric.)

Now get ye to your documents and cull, cull, cull!

Some Thoughts On Our Contest -- Add Yours

I've already gushed, so I'll restrain myself. May I just say -- you have impressed and humbled me.

Certain things stand out. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that some of you waded through every single entry in order to leave feedback. And here's the best part: Some of you hadn't entered something yourselves. That is passion and selflessness at its finest.

Some of you are very young -- as in, teenagers. (If nothing else, I am a good sleuth.) Post 34 (senior in high school) and Post 113 (age 14) are two examples. Kudos to you for your bravery and maturity.

(And this supports my decision to keep this site rated PG. 'Nuff said.)

Some of you have shared on your own blogs that, despite a lot of "ripping apart" of your entry, you feel encouraged, supported, ready to tear into your work to make it ever better, ever stronger.

If that isn't an indomitable spirit, I don't know what is.

Now, looking ahead. There are bound to be a few snags the first time through anything. I find that my biggest "snag" was not enough parameters. Our next Secret Agent contest will have more clearly delineated guidelines; for example, nothing younger than a middle grade novel. And my submissions window? Ay yi yi! It was way too big. If I could express to you what it feels like to think you're catching up, only to discover a fresh batch of submissions at the top of the inbox...

Oh, wait a minute. I sounded like an agent just then, didn't I?

Anyway, I'd like to hear your input, please. I already know that the vast majority of you appreciated the feedback on your writing. What, in your opinion, would make the next round run even more smoothly? What would streamline it? Make it better?

Would you like to see contests run for specific genres? Contests on query letters? Contests exactly like the one we just had?

And yes, I've already got another Secret Agent lined up. So keep working, keep polishing, and keep reading this blog. We're off to a roaring start and we're not going to stop now!

Tell me what you think, Dear Writers...

Angela made the suggestion, in the comment box, that we might explore "dialogue segments, examples of emotions (showing an angry scene, a fearful one, etc.)" here on the blog.

Brainstorm with me on this one, will you? How might we set something like this up where it wouldn't be too difficult to manage, and would be as helpful to participants as our recent Are You Hooked? seems to have been?

I'm into exploring creative approaches to hone writing and "test the waters" for an enthusiastic audience.

I await your comments!