Time to Type "The End"

Tip of the Day: This is a periodic public service announcement. Backup your word processing files. Have you saved your writing to a stick drive lately?

Revisions are done, line editing is done, and it's time to virtually step away from another huge folder on my c drive. I've spent lots of time on my tween paranormal, but now it's completed. It's time to work on a new project.

I always feel weird when this happens. It's almost like moving to a new town. I have to meet new people, figure out where all the important buildings are, and say goodbye to the characters I knew so well.

To make it worse, I have a few projects competing for what to work on next, and I'm having a hard time making up my mind. I have a haunted house novel that I feel needs an entire rewrite, a graphic novel script I started in Fast Draft January, and a shiny new idea that needs a lot of research.

To paraphrase Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb, I need a Brain Switch Gearerator.

I always feel happy the first time I type "The End" on a project, after the first draft. Yahoo, finally, I can start revising!! But the last time I type "The End" makes me feel a little adrift. I guess it's time to be the new kid in a new town again.

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

When bad things happen to good authors

Tip of the day: Check out this GREAT post by Agent Rachelle Gardner on how much it really costs to publish a book.

October was a hard month. And until now, I haven’t talked about it publicly. But what happened to me is something that happens to authors quite often, and it’s part of being an author, hard as it can be. So I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk about it a little bit.

See, my editor was let go from my publisher. The editor I made three beautiful books with. The editor who I had a wonderful connection with – who got my books and my writing in a way I had only dreamed of.

Some will say editors don’t really edit anymore. I can’t say that’s untrue all the time, but I know in my case, with this particular editor, it wasn’t true. When I flip through each of my books, I see a little bit of him on every page. And it’s a little hard to imagine having books in the future without those fingerprints, so to speak.

I really went through the stages of grief when I heard the news. I was in denial, I was mad, I was sad, and finally, I think I’ve come through to a place of acceptance. You know what they say – the only thing that’s constant in life is change.

I’ve been assigned a wonderful new editor, and now, after I’ve had some time to grieve a little bit and process everything, I do think it will all be fine in the end.

Interestingly enough, months before this all happened, I felt the need to dedicate CHASING BROOKLYN to my editor. He knew how much I appreciated him, because I told him a few times. But I'm so glad the world will know that too. Especially now.

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

Launch Party Re-cap: My Favorite Things

Tip of the Day: The 2009 Debutantes are doing group signings in a number of locations across the country this holiday season. See if they are coming near you! Check Holidaze with the Debs.

I survived!! Actually, I did better than that-- I had so much fun at my launch party!! I couldn't wait until today to blog about it so the big post is on my personal blog here.

Today, I'm going to share some of my favorite things from the party.

First, signing. I signed my arcs at ALA this summer but this was different- it was the actual book! And it was really, really fun. People started coming about ten minutes before the party started and it was pretty steady for the entire time.















Speaking of books, don't they look so pretty all set up in a big ol' stack like this?














Then of course there was all the pink. I love pink! (Did you spot the plates I was freaking out about last week?)














And I loved that so much family came! My parents and all three of my brothers (even the one from Seattle, WA) and their families, my aunts and uncles, cousins, and godparents. And of course my family, Hubby was taking mega pictures and the kids were SO good. I was very relieved!














Although my 3-yr old kept taking advantage of my being distracted to steal chocolate hearts again and again. And again.














And the writers! I love getting to chat with other writers and I was especially happy that local writers came out. Below is Kristin Walker and Trina Sotira.















And finally, I was so excited to see so many old friends-- some I hadn't seen since high school!














Thanks for the support everyone!

Kristina, Miss Delighted to Debut

Polishing Two Novels in One Month (or How the Heck is it November 11th Already?!?)

Tip of the Day: Take Tina's THE ESPRESSOLOGIST out for coffee for the chance to win great prizes!

After writing my post about how to overcome my setting deficiencies, I decided I need to revise my YA novel SURVIVING LAKE NEADE. Not that it needs a huge overhaul, but I know that I want to immediately ground my readers in the setting. That means giving the first page a solid intriguing setting, then adding in the four best friends, followed by a continual sprinkling of more setting. Right now it's mostly characters and dialogue; I need to change that.

BUT! I after having my MG novel BAKE, SET, MATCH go on sub, I decided I need to revise my MG novel 24 HOURS TO POPULARITY to beef up the main character's point of view, motivations, and general character; what makes her tick and why is she doing what she's doing. Again, it doesn't need a huge overhaul, but I know that I want to immediately ground my readers in the MC's life. That means reading through the whole novel, page by page, and adding internal dialog so the reader knows what the MC is thinking despite what she's saying.

Oh man, that's a lot of work. Especially since I'm also a third of the way through a rewrite of my first ever novel.

There's only one way to fix that -- blast through the revisions and polishing of both novels in one month! NaNoREVMo! WOO HOO!

I am also a fan of NaNoWriMo, but this year with all my hot projects just burning a hole in my laptop, it didn't make sense to create another document to dilute my attention from the others. :)

So far I'm on page 108/184 of 24 HOURS and page 0/159. Hmmmm...looks like I've got a ways to go. If others can write a 50k-word novel in a month, I can certainly add some details to two mere manuscripts in the next 19 days!

Anyone else doing alternative NaNo challenges this month?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

MG vs. YA

Tip of the Day: try to enjoy the nice weather, while it lasts!

Most of us at A2A have dabbled in writing both Middle Grade fiction and Young Adult. They seem so similar, but yet so far apart. The reading level for an average 9-year old versus a 13-year old is vastly different, and at the same time much of their interests differ as well.

Trying to write my first MG novel, I've found I'm enjoying discovering the differences between the two writing styles and getting into the head of a younger character.

So far, here's where I've found these two writing styles differ (at least in my own writing):

• MG has to be a bit speedier. With shorter chapters and a quicker plot. Most 9-year olds get distracted very easily and if you don't keep them constantly entertained they might put the book down. At the same time, 9-year olds tend to have slightly more energy and your characters need to reflect that as well.
• You can have more fun with strange characters. I think younger readers are more forgiving of the unusual and quirky characters and tend to enjoy them.
• You're plots can be even more far-fetched. This is the case with YA too (as are all these bullet points), but I think you can go even further and push the limits with MG fiction. The crazier the plot, the more enjoyable and fun the book could be.
• Friendship is really important at this age.
• Parents play a bigger role in MG fiction than YA fiction.
• The romance definitely has to be light if there is one.
  

These are ever changing points and things I'm picking up, but what do you all notice in the differences in MG and YA? With so many cross-over genre books for these age-ranges, there's so many different types of books out there. There's definitely something for everyone to read and write.

--Emily, Miss Querylicious

I'm All Ears (and Eyes and Shoulders)

Tip of the Day: Win a copy of ONCE WAS LOST by Sara Zarr and THE ESPRESSOLOGIST by Kristina Springer in Tabitha Olson's cool contest here.

What is it with me, first drafts, and body parts? I'm hoping this is a common problem and you can all chime in and say, sure, Kate, we all do that, you're not totally insane. But all my first drafts sound like this to me while I'm writing them:

Their eyes locked. He tapped her hand. She hoisted the backpack on her shoulder and brushed her hair behind her ear. Their arms brushed against each other and she felt a shiver up her spine. He couldn't meet her eyes anymore and stared at his feet. Her back was against the wall. She banged her elbow. Pain shot up her forearm and she opened her mouth to yelp in surprise.

Alright, I'm exaggerating a tiny bit, but that's what it feels like. I mean, obviously I've got some dialogue and stuff sprinkled in there in real life. But man, my characters are extremely fidgety while they're talking.

Did you ever run Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/) over your manuscript to see which words you've used most often? I keep expecting to get back EYES in 38 point font. (Actually I usually end up with LOOK or some variation of it in 38 point font, which is close enough. You'd be surprised how many meanings I think that word has.)

So ... common problem? How does one edit out the body parts?

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

Mine, all Mine!

Tip of the day: Have a great release party tomorrow, Tina! We look forward to pictures next week!

Someone at work recently asked me what I was working on as far as books were concerned. I said I’d been working on a project for the past 8 months or so, but I was hesitant to share anything about it yet. She asked me why that was, and wondered if it was because the person being told then projects their expectations about the book or something. I told her that might be part of it, but I couldn’t really explain it, that it’s just sort of a writer’s thing, to hold our projects close to our chests sometimes.

Muses can be very fickle things. At least, mine can. Sometimes simply releasing a story out in the world before it’s ready, even just a verbal description, makes my muse cranky. Suddenly, that sparkly project doesn’t look so sparkly any more.

And I’ve learned over the years that sometimes what I think is a great idea doesn’t sound as great to other people. I always hope it will be met with enthusiasm, but when it’s not, it can be a bit discouraging.

Finally, I think that since I now have other books out there for others to judge, it’s simply nice to have something that’s mine and only mine for awhile. No one else’s. Mine to do what I want, to build it up or rip it down, and not have anyone passing judgment on what I’m doing.

What about you? Do you like telling people what you’re working on, or do you tend to keep it under wraps, like I (usually) do?

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career