Road Trip Wednesday: How far would you go to get published?

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic: 
We writers can form quite an attachment to our characters and stories. But we also know publishing is a business, and sometimes to make it in said business--to really build a career from it--we have to bend a bit. How far would you go to break into the publishing world?

When ZOVA Books signed me, they loved the concept of Oppression and my writing style, but no manuscript is ever perfect. Working directly with my publisher (with no agent) meant that I was coming to them with a manuscript that had not been reviewed or critiqued by an industry professional. The only feedback I’d gotten was from friends and relatives, which meant I knew there would be requested changes.

Now, ZOVA signed me before sitting me down to work through the weak spots in my story, so I wasn’t making crazy changes to please someone who didn’t believe in me. ZOVA has believed in me from the beginning. When they provided their critique, a list of weaknesses and suggested changes, I accepted them, but I’ll admit….I cried. After I cried, I worked really hard and re-crafted the lackluster parts of my story. Looking back, I am so thankful for their advice. Sometimes we fall in love with parts of our stories just because we wrote them, not because they help the plot along. In writing, we’re only supposed to take what we need to survive, right? Don’t be a Princess Vespa. What is it she says in Spaceballs… 

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“It’s my industrial strength hairdryer! AND I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IT!”

Sometimes we need editors, agents, or publishers to come at us with tough love and give us that reality check.

What I've learned is that people in the industry (or at least the people with ZOVA) are smart. They know what they’re doing and their feedback is honest. Now, that isn’t to say you should completely re-write your story because someone in the industry is telling you to (especially if they aren’t invested in you) but my point is, there is a lot to be learned from that kind of feedback.

ZOVA has not only believed in me along the way, they have been a great teacher, advisor, friend, mirror, critique partner, and genius publisher. They’ve helped me grow as a writer, and for that I am so grateful.

So how far would I go? I'd say I'm willing to be open to new ideas, suggestions, and advice about the details of my novels, as long as in the end, it's still my writing, my work, my creativity, and my story.

What would you do if a publisher, agent, or editor asked you to change your novel? Would you be open to it or say no thank you?

Live.Laugh.Love...Writer Friends

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Okay, I'm going to be honest. I'm super blog-lazy right now. Forgive me if this isn't the world's best post. Lazy or not, I have to thank the universe for giving me writer friends. What would we do without them? They're the ones who actual listen when you feel like venting about plot frustrations, talking about character development, or when you have to tell someone about the amazing scene you just wrote. Most people will put up with your writer-ranting for a while, but the writer friends REALLY listen and connect, because they know. They know what it's like to pour your heart and soul out onto the page, how much work it is, how hard yet satisfying it can be when you make progress. And when you say, "Hey Holly, can you read these 30 pages real quick?" She doesn't groan or make a face like, 30 PAGES, do I have to? No. She says, "OF COURSE! Yay, I can't wait!" I mean, lets be honest here. Not many people are willing to do that for you (aside from mommies, sisters, and besties) but writer friends will, because they are a special kind of wonderful. Not only will they read that 30 pages, they'll read it again. AND AGAIN....with honest feedback, and corrections each time.

So, thank you writer friends:

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Holly Kammier - author of Could Have Been Holly Wood
Christian LaMonte - author of Talis Springs
Candace Walsh - Ms. Poetic Brilliance
Allison Rogge - The World's Strongest Woman (and brainstorming extraordinaire)
Janet Jackson (no not the singer...but just as bad ass) - My Biggest Fan
...and of course Molly the Magnificent and the rest of the ZOVA magic makers.


Thanks for everything you do! I LOVE YOU WRITER FRIENDS!

What have your writer friends done for you? What makes them so awesome?

Road Trip Wednesday: Writing Superpowers

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic:

What are your writing and publishing superpowers? (drafting? beta-reading? writing queries? plotting? character creation? etc.) -- and what's your kryptonite?

 

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The neat-freak in me is the source of my writing superpower. I guess it’s no surprise I have a knack for proof-reading and polishing my manuscript. I’m not saying my manuscripts are perfect when I turn them in, but I like to think they are cleaner than most. In reality, you can’t catch everything, but I like to try. (Now watch me post this with a million errors…)

I wish my superpower was something different….something a little more useful. In my writer fantasy world, I would be able to sit down at the computer and type chapter after chapter of genius plot without stopping to blink. My writing doesn’t just pour out of me like that. It never has. When it does, it’s rare. That’s not for lack of ideas, but more a symptom of my perfectionism that won’t let me move past a scene that hasn’t been molded and groomed. Sometimes I look at books like Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows or Breaking Dawn and think, How did they write such a long book? Didn’t it take them forever?

Thankfully National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has helped me to overcome the nit-pickiness that is my kryptonite. The solution…just write for the sake of writing. Because you have a goal. Because you need to get it out. Because you need to move on.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with NaNoWriMo…

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National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

See what I mean…

My hope is to write on the fly every time I write. So far, it’s working.

What are your writing superpowers and what's your kryptonite?

Road Trip Wednesday: Be Honest...I Can Take It!

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic:

What kind of writing coach do you need? When you have to coach friends, what kind of coach are you?

I don't know where I would be without my critique partners and the three musketeers at ZOVA (Dan, Matt, and Molly). They give me the one thing every writer needs to improve their work—the truth.

Many writers are afraid to share their work because they are afraid someone will tell them that it’s terrible. They’d rather stay in the fantasy world where their manuscript is perfect and everyone loves it. I don’t blame them. I lived in that fantasy world for a while. It’s nice, but it’s lonely and confusing, as you think to yourself, “Why don’t these agents know my book is awesome?” *crickets* Oh yeah, nobody’s there to answer you!

The way I see it, the flaws in your manuscript are like food in your teeth. Do you really want a writing coach (or critique partner) who is going to look you straight in the face and let you keep talking like they don’t see it? No. You want someone who says, “Hey buddy, here’s a mirror. Take a look at what I see. You’ve got a mouth full of spinach.”

Sure you’ll feel a little embarrassed at first. I mean, you didn’t know you had food in your teeth (or flaws in your manuscript) but aren’t you glad someone told you! Otherwise, you’d just keep on going around thinking everything is fine and dandy, meanwhile everyone is staring at you like you’re some weirdo for not knowing.

Get a thick skin and welcome an honest critique. You’ll be glad you did, because in the end, your book will be that much better. Thanks to my brutally honest critique partners and amazing publisher, OPPRESSION is the best it can be. 

Remember that honest critiquing goes both ways. It's hard to tell someone that their precious manuscript needs work, but do your writer friends a favor and be the bad guy every once in a while. You better believe my critiques aren’t sugar-coated. They are real, honest, harsh, and that’s how my critique partners and I like it. It may sound a bit like an abusive relationship, but our comments are always constructive and from the heart. Being honest doesn't give you the right to be mean.

Now, that being said, we all need that vote of confidence, and at the end of the day nobody has supported me and my work like my family. Of course they are a little biased, but every writer gets knocked down, and you need someone to pick you back up. A good writing coach/critique partner is key, but a team of cheerleaders doesn’t hurt! Love you guys!

What’s the best writing advice you’ve been given? Do you have any stories about brutally honest critiques? Did a critique change the way you looked at your book? Please share!!

Road Trip Wednesday: Update on OPPRESSION

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

We'd love for you to participate! Just answer the prompt on your own blog and leave a link -- or, if you prefer, you can include your answer in the comments.

This Week's Topic:

What has your writing road trip looked like so far? Excitement? Traffic Jams and detours? Where are you going next?

What a fun topic this Wednesday! I've been wanting to give an update on the status of OPPRESSION. It's getting close...

For those of you who haven't been following my blog, OPPRESSION is book one of my YA series CHILDREN OF THE GODS. It is being published by ZOVA Books and will be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. in regular old book form and as an e-book this February.

Over the past few months I've been consumed by the editing process. I'm not sure what other authors go through, but I imagine it's something similar to my experience. When I signed with ZOVA I assumed the publishing process went a little something like this:

Publisher: "You're book is amazing. We want to publish it."

Me: "HECK YEAH!"

Publisher: "Everything looks perfect. We'll fix all the little mistakes and get it in stores ASAP. Just sit back and watch the magic."

Me: "No problem. I'll just start writing the next one. See you in 8 months!"

Wow, right? I'm a bit of a dreamer, I know. Needless to say, that is NOT how it goes. After all the time you've slaved over that precious manuscript of yours (thinking all the while it is as perfect as anyone could make it) get ready for more work.

This is how it really goes:

Step One: Content Edits - So you remember that supposedly flawless manuscript you've slaved over? Get ready to hand that puppy over...it's not so perfect after all. Thankfully the people that work for ZOVA are pretty close to writing super heroes. They didn't just take my manuscript as is and put it in print all easy breezy like I thought they would. Instead they opened my eyes to the weaknesses and the strengths of the story and gave me the opportunity to reorganize, take out chapters that didn't move the story forward, write in new scenes that are now key elements of the plot, and develop characters further. You can't imagine how much better the book is. Content edits are hard. They hurt. But they are worth it. If your publisher tells you your manuscript is flawless, you're either not getting the attention you deserve, or you're a super author genius and I hate you for being so dang perfect (just kidding...but seriously though).

Step Two: Fine-Tuning - After you get the email that says the content edits are good and you can move forward, don't get too excited. Although the really hard stuff is over, there is still a ton of work to be done. This second read-through is where you strip out redundant sentences, add more sensory details to the places that have too much internal monologue/narrative, and fine-tune sentences that seem choppy. 

Step Three: Line Edits - This is the most recent step I've taken on my writing road trip. Line edits mean it's the publisher/editor's turn to read through the manuscript and correct the remaining mistakes that you've failed to catch. These are mostly commas or whatever seems to be your bad writing habit (mine habit is comma placement...I'm terrible). After they do this, you then have to do a third read-through to approve the changes and make any last minute corrections. Sounds like the easy part, right? Unless, like me, you have to do it in two days. I didn't mind though. There was a reason behind the sudden rush to finish. Today they are having the largest book fair in the world in Frankfurt, Germany, and OPPRESSION is there! They're on the hunt for international publishers to pick up the series. It's very exciting...

As for what's next? I believe it is proofing (one last editing step) before ARCs are produced and sent out for reviews. Also, we drew up a mock cover, so that should be coming up soon as well. Stay tuned for updates!

Where are you on your writing journey?

Jelly Bellies and Hugs

I finally sent off my manuscript! It's been a long month, but I feel like I've really fine-tuned the writing. This second round of editing definitely paid off. Once the content is nailed down it is so much easier to hone in on specific details. I caught some things (with the help of friends and family) that clearly needed to be changed. They were mostly small details, but they made a world of difference.

(from here)

I really do have to thank my close friends and family for helping me through this process (although some of them just loved throwing that monkey wrench into my perfect plot). Editing isn't something that you can do on your own. You need to bounce ideas off of someone, get a second (and honest) opinion. You need the support and the affirmation that your changes are good and they work. You need someone to point out holes you may have missed. If you are writing or editing a book (or really anything) make sure you have people you love and trust to share your work with. For those of you who have helped me (you know who you are) THANK YOU! I'll find some way to repay you. It may be in the form of jelly bellies and hugs, but hey.



I'm sure the third round of editing will be just as productive. The next step is line editing. It's my publisher's turn to take a crack at it. I believe this is about the time they get out the elbow grease and start polishing. I can't wait to see what they send me. I've already started pacing...

Publisher Feedback

So remember my obsession with the little green light on my phone? Well, it finally came through for me. This time it really was an email from my publisher!

The good news is they are satisfied with my rewrites and agree it is a much better book. We are officially done with plot changes and rewrites (super wide & happy grin). There are still a few things we need to fine-tune, which should actually be fun since they are dealing more with writing style than content. I feel really lucky to be working with Molly Lewis, Publisher at ZOVA Books. Aside from being a super genius, she is just plain talented. She knows what she’s doing, what she’s looking for, and how to get it out of you. All of her feedback is truly eye-opening, and these most recent comments were so dead-on, I just have to share.

1.   Don’t sum up dialogue or action into a generalized sentence at the end of a scene.

It seems like an obvious statement, but it happened a lot more often than I thought in my book. Maybe I was just looking for a way to wrap up the conversation or situation, but however my mind justified it at the time, the tactic didn’t make the final cut. Here is an example:

“Well I don’t agree.”

“You don’t have to. I’m still right.”

“You’re not right. You’re stubborn.”

We continued to argue until I’d had enough. I stormed out and left him alone in his room.

If the argument really did continue, what did they argue about? Write the rest of the dialogue or end it with the appropriate line and continue your story. The summary phrase, we continued to argue until I’d had enough, doesn’t provide the reader with any more detail, and it is a lazy way to transition.

2.   Cut sentences that are…superfluous (my mom loves that word so I had to use it).

Veronica Roth explains it further in her blog post on Redundant Sentences. In my case, I tend to feel the need to over-explain, but us writers have to give the reader a little credit. They get it the first time they read it. There’s no need to say the same thing twice (which I kind of just did).

Example:

I felt comfortable around him, like we’d known each other forever. Our conversations came easily, and we could talk for hours, as if he we’d been friends for years.

3.   Balance internal monologue with concrete details.

This issue is something specific to the way I write. I like to be inside a character’s head. Whether I’m reading it or writing it, I just love to know what characters are feeling and thinking (That may be a redundant sentence, but I can be a repeater in my own blog right?). The problem with internal monologue during dramatic scenes is that it takes away from the action and the pacing of the story. Most of the time I want to explore what the character is feeling in such intense moments, but I have to remember to write details about the action as well.

Molly The Magnificent came up with a brilliant idea. She made note of a few scenes that had this problem and suggested that as an exercise, I write only concrete details about the action that is happening, describing step-by-step what my main character does instead of thinks. After I’m done, we can use the new scene or combine the two.

These three observations were huge for me. I'm just too close to the book to get a fresh look at it. I’ve read The Descendants about a million times by now, so a new (and highly trained and professional) perspective is exactly what I needed. I am super excited to start fine-tuning. I have until August 31^st to do one last read through to tweak the writing, then off to line editing. Here we go…