October Contests & New Blog Schedule

New Post Schedule

Some of you may have noticed some changes to our blog schedule.  Mondays will now rotate between the Industry Month in Review, Writers Resource, Villain of the Month, and the YA Book Pick of the month.  Wednesdays Lauren, Jenn, Triona and myself will wax poetically about writing, life and everything in between.

Hope you enjoy!
  

October Contests 

I'm just starting to come down from my GUTGAA high (thank you to Deana Barnhart for hosting and organizing!) There were soooo many amazing entries - I don't know how the judges and agents picked.  (a special congrats to our very own Triona who got THREE requests from the agent portion of the contest!)

Congrats to everyone who participated in GUTGAA, and best of luck to those who have moved onto the Small Press Pitch contest - my fingers and toes are crossed for you!

If you're looking for something to fill that GUTGAA void, there are some fantastic contests coming up for the month of October.  I've heard of six so far (six!!)  If you know of any others, please post in the comments section and I will update the list.

Oct. 13 - Hook, Line and Sinker

Oct. 13-16 - Spooktacular Pitch Extravaganza (Both participating agents were part of GUTGAA, so this contest is great for those that didn't make it into the agent round.)

Oct.15 - Get Your Pitch On

Oct. 15-19 - Pitch Live

Oct 24 - Trick or Treat with an Agent

Oct. 30 - Third Annual Baker's Dozen

As if I needed another reason to love the month of October (any other Halloween geeks out there?)

Hope to see you at a few of them!

Twitter-ific: Twitter for Writers

Once upon a time, I kind of looked down on people who were obsessed with Twitter. Guess they don't have anything better to do than tell a bunch of people what they're eating for breakfast, was generally how my thought process went.

Then I joined Twitter to participate in an agent contest, about three months ago.

Ahem. 1900 tweets later, I would like to sincerely apologize for those uncharitable thoughts. I get it now.

The thing no one told me: how many writers were on Twitter. How many talented, hilarious, kind, and - above all - supportive writers. I now am an active member of a large group of awesome people. We cheer the good news and boo the bad news together.

I had a very rejection-filled day a few weeks ago and was feeling pretty low.

This was me.

I tweeted about it - nothing too hopeless, just something like, "Why do all the rejections have to come at once?" Within minutes, I had a dozen replies from other writers, some who are right there in the query trenches with me and could completely relate, some who have agents and book deals and just wanted to tell me to hang in there, it gets better. It was the best pick-me-up I could have imagined.

Beyond the support system, Twitter is also an excellent source of valuable information for writers at any stage of the process. I follow many agents and editors who are founts of tips and inside scoops on what they're looking for (and what they're rejecting). Even if a Twitter newbie didn't feel comfortable putting out tweets of their own, there's a whole lot to be learned just by following a bunch of reputable agents and editors and doing some "listening."

My advice to new writers who want to be Twitter-ers (I'm still not totally hep to the lingo, obviously!) is to first follow as many industry-professionals as you can. They usually list their Twitter handles on their blogs or websites.

Then keep an eye out for Twitter contests. Even if you don't participate, it's a great way to find other writers who are at the same stage of the process as you. One of my best Twitter friends (now a real-life friend who I met up with at a recent conference!) made the first contact by telling me she loved my contest entry. I've now done the same thing to others several times.

So if you're an aspiring writer and have been wondering if Twitter can help you: the answer is yes. Try it out and see if you like it!

And for the record: I'm @trionabmurphy if you want to say hi.

To Outline or Not To Outline

When I got the idea for my first manuscript I was pretty psyched.  This was going to be my ticket to success!  I knew the start, I knew the ending, now I just had to write it.  So I started to write, and write, and write some more. I had about five chapters down when I attended the SCBWI Niagara  conference and received notes on my first chapter and synopsis.

The notes all around were invaluable but it was the note on my synopsis that really hit home.  "This doesn't sound fresh".  My first thought was well of course not, you don't understand, there's so much that's not on the page, I only wrote the synopsis in a day, blah, blah, blah...

But lucky for me, one of the things I pride myself on is my ability to chuck my ego at the door (I'll even grind it to a pulp if asked nicely).  The real reason why it didn't sound fresh was because I didn't know where it was going, who the characters were and why they were doing what they were doing.  Because I didn't have a sense of the overall story, I couldn't answer basic questions like the ones asked here and here.  I couldn't effectively communicate what the story was in the synopsis.

So I decided that before I continued to write my manuscript, I was going to finalize my synopsis.  Fast forward four months and several edits and revisions later, that synopsis has turned into my outline and bible for my novel.  It's also resulted in a number of things including the scrapping of several chapters, the shrinking of the scope of the story and a newly defined antagonist just to name a few. 

Was this exercise beneficial?  Will it help me to create a better manuscript? Will I be a millionaire with a six figure advance?  Yes. Yes. We'll wait and see.  Overall though, what it has allowed me to do is communicate my story better, write chapters that advance the plot and save time that may have been wasted developing ideas and moving in directions which weren't vital to the story. It's also helped me to get feedback on the story at a high level and fast.  There are a number of individuals who've graciously given me their time to provide feedback and comments.  Reading a ten page outline at this early stage is way easier than reading one hundred pages of a poorly drafted manuscript.  As this stage, I'm more interested in issues like voice and pacing than grammar and sentence structure. 

Is outlining for everyone?  I envy those with the talent to put fingers to keyboards and blast out a manuscript without one.  But for me, I wouldn't have it any other way. 

On How to Avoid Turning Into an Agent-Stalker or (gasp) Vanilla Ice



Within 24 hours of being rejected by both man  & agent. I only remember the fun.

I’m someone who has dated more than my fair share. Probably more than the fair share of entire sorority houses, really, considering how freaking long I’ve been at it. And wherever there is dating, there lurks rejection of the most powerful kind. Not that I’ve ever been rejected, I’ve clearly always done the rejecting, ahem, or not. But the fact is that most of the time one of the two of you is going to feel the sting of rejection in the quest for finding a great match.  And that’s why, I think, finding an agent-client relationship is often described as dating .

And now apparently we’re learning that, like with dating, where there is rejection, there may be stalking and violence. Really? One much-Tweeted/blogged story burning up the blogosphere right now is about an agent who was most-likely attacked by a rejectee. Yikes!

So since I have more practice being rejected than anyone I know, I am AWESOME with rejection (there’s a flow you pick up once you hit quadruple digits). We all have our skills. I thought I’d share with you some of my hard-fought favorites for dealing with rejection, and maybe you all can give me some new tips as well. Perhaps our public-service-announcement-ing will help keep these poor agents safe and back to their hovels to slosh through even more manuscripts . Hopefully with chocolate.

The Tips

At Chuao on a good day

1.      Chocolate. 73% dark. Single-origin. Chuao is my local favorite, but if you’re in NYC La Maison, Michel Cuizel,  or Kee’s are phenomenal. Think that the high rejection rates of NYC correlate directly with the location of many of the world’s best chocolatiers accidentally? Ha!

2.    Friends who don’t date/write. I meet with mine at the Chuao chocolatier cafe table most days a-la-Friends circa 1999. My friends are hilarious, especially when the blended chocolate drinks start flowing, and they start quoting everyone from Putin to Pee Wee Herman. Reminds a gal that the small world I’m being rejected in isn’t the only world, or even the only world I’m in. I can still make a Putin joke with the best of ‘em.

3. Friends who do write/date. This one often comes after experience with aforementioned because friends not in the trenches don’t understand.  From a distance, things always look so simple… Your friends in the trenches can validate the suckiness and avoid condescending or rude comments so much better. And the gallows humor potential? Awesome.

4. First World Problems. I love the website of the same name. Now, whenever something annoying happens like being rejected from someone who is not a deep love (luckily I’ve never had that one yet; parting from real loves is hard enough & a real human problem), I can write it off. THIS is my problem? Really? I am SO LUCKY! Hard for me to be whiny that someone who doesn’t actually know me all that deeply isn’t moved to a be with me right away. Way better than losing a child to hunger. Way better. (Despite its lackluster placement at #4, I think this one is the anchor of the list. Gratitude is its own beautiful breed of savior.) Also, if the person has been cool to me (and any agent who is taking the time to read your stuff has been cool with you), I like to end by giving them a specific "thank you." Always better to put more gratitude out there and acknowledge those who have been kind.

5. Remember I’m Becoming More Likable. People hate those who gain early success. So un-relatable and boring. Where are the stories? They certainly can’t throw down a “DTC” story to make someone else feel better in point 3. (“DTC” Delta Ticket Counter: I was stood up at the Delta flight counter once. He bought the flight to see me a week before. Never got on plane. I ended up with fridge of boy food. Would’ve been nice if he’d told me.) Great friendships form over the telling of a “DTC” story.

6. Time. Once you’re married/get published, there are luxuries you don’t have anymore (impromptu road trip to SF riddled with shenanigans? No prob.)  Might as well appreciate the benefits each place because, well, like it or not, that’s where you are. It also allows you to take self-inventories and get better thereby leading to a better match in the future, as well as time to strategize what to do when there and to prepare more fully than those suckers who didn't have time to do as much in-depth study of what has/has not made long-term success. Remember: Vanilla Ice hit big at 23 & stupid. Last week I think he performed at a Zumba convention (really. I looked it up. Next month? Pineapple festival).

Dancing with best friend.
(I took picture)
Summertime in the city!
This may or may not have
been immediately after some
form of rejection. Fun, right?

7. And when all else fails, dance party! Or as my brother calls it, “flailing around to loud music by yourself”( or with one or two good friends.) Lately my best friend and I are finding Florence and the Machine particularly fantastic.  Really, I think Ellen Degeneres says it best in her post-Katrina Tulane commencement address when she quotes one Lady Gaga's "Just dance…"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JccudODwwY

So what are your favorite ways to handle rejection with style and grace???

YA Book Pick: UNRAVELING

On the second Monday of every month, we choose an outstanding YA book to review. We want to spotlight books of interest to aspiring writers, as well as highlight some of our favorite books and authors!

This month's Book Pick is UNRAVELING by Elizabeth Norris.

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed—as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she's opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn't possible, she knows—with every fiber of her being—that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben's possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father's files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something—but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what's right in front of her: Everything that's happened—the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben's sudden appearance in her life—points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she's going to need to uncover Ben's secrets—and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

From debut author Elizabeth Norris comes this shattering novel of one girl's fight to save herself, her world, and the boy she never saw coming.

First Line: "I can tell the exact moment Nick steps onto the beach."

Unlike some of the other books we've featured for YA Book Picks (like LEGEND or BITTERBLUE) this one doesn’t have a "grabby" first line. But to be honest, this book doesn't really need one. The inciting incident—the turning point that propels the whole story forward—happens on page seven. We get to know Janelle and something about her attitude and her family situation… and then boom, we're into the action, hurtling forward toward the inevitable climax.

Highlights: I really liked the characterizations in this book. Janelle, her friends, and her family all had good reasons why they acted the way they did. They weren't one-note characters, and they sometimes behaved irrationally because of strong emotions—like real people do. 

I'm a big fan of sci-fi (and am currently working on a sci-fi thriller of my own!), so the twist in the middle of the book was right up my alley.

And finally: I'm a huge X-Files nerd, so all the references to the show kept putting a grin on my face.

Notes for Writers: If you're writing action, suspense, or thriller, you've probably heard the "ticking clock" advice. Having a deadline or a kill date helps heighten tension and drive the reader forward.

Elizabeth Norris takes this advice literally in UNRAVELING. The book's tagline is "Stop the countdown. Save the world." Each chapter begins with a number that shows exactly how much time is left before… well, you'll have to read the book to find out. But trust me, the stakes are really high.

A Good Read For: Anyone interested in sci-fi and action-packed thrillers, or anyone who wants to see an example of breakneck pacing done exactly right.