*With apologies to Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Tip of the Day: If you go to a writing event where you will be receiving a group critique, have a friend take notes of the critiquers' comments for you -- you'll be so into absorbing the comments that you won't have time to write down their thoughts, too.
Wow. What a weekend. Yes, I was fortunate enough to have gone to the SCBWI Central & Western NY Region's "Warts & All" Novel Revision Workshop Retreat Weekend with Kate. (OK, I might've made that name up, but it was fab!) Did ya see us two beauties sitting in the front row of her pic? And our marvelous crit partner Kelley standing in the back row (with the gorgeous blond curls)?
My brain was exhausted every night -- in a good way! There was so much to think about and I learned just as much by listening to and participating in others' crits as in getting my own work critiqued.
Here's some suggestions for those of you who will be going on an organized workshop like this:
1) See my Tip of the Day above.
2) If you're given the opportunity, swap your full ms with another attendee before the event. Then meet to discuss your work during free time at the event. It's a great way to get a fresh perspective on your whole ms at once -- and you get to read someone else's work that could be a future best-seller!
3) Bring lots of water, chocolate, caffeinated beverages, and salty snacks. Share with others to make fast friends.
Here's some tips and tidbits from the weekend that stuck with me:
1) Make each of your characters' voices distinct. Don't fall into cliche phrases or verbage. The obvious need for this was clear bc each participant read their work aloud -- we didn't have print-outs -- so it was easy to "see" which characters blended together.
2) Chronicle Books is developing its first line of MG/YA titles. They don't have a definite "feel" yet for these new kidlit areas, so they are open to lots of story ideas (but less fantasy and historical).
3) When a hook works, it works big. Writer Lisa's MG is "Hardy Boys meets Mission Impossible." How cool is that???
4) Every writer is nervous reading their novel's "warty parts" aloud. Take a deep breath and know everyone is on your side.
5) Positive feedback can help as much as constructive negative feedback. Just bc the selection you read is not as warty as you think and you don't get that many revision suggestions, know that all those positive words are helpful, too. It means you're on the right track and keep on revising as you were.
Overall, it was amazing to spend a weekend babbling about writing and YA books and the kidlit industry with others who have the same passion. (***Shout out to AMY for all her work, JULIE for making the long flight out, and the 11 other WRITERS whose work I look forward to reading in published format some day soon!***)
Does anyone have any questions about the retreat? How it was run or other things we learned?
Deena, Miss Recently Repped
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Free Writing Groups @ your library
Tip of the Day: If you are looking for a writing group, you might have to look no further than your public library.
With Kate and Deena talking about writing retreats, I thought I'd talk to the budget writers among us. Those that want to get more serious about their writing, but maybe can't afford to go to a retreat right now or with young kids find it more difficult to travel to retreats.
The Web is great for these people with getting expert advice on writing, querying, and getting support from other writers. But sometimes you can't replace chatting with writers in-person.
And I thought some of you might not be aware that many of your local libraries have a wealth of information for writers (yes, shameless plug as a librarian, I know). Not only in terms of great books to check out, but also many of them have information about free local writers group or host a writer's group of their very own!!
Here in Michigan, almost every library I know of does programs at least one time a year for writers. Some of them might be bringing in authors to talk about their books or they could have weekly or monthly writing groups, like ours does.
Since the writing group at my library is about to start back up, I thought I'd send good vibes out into the universe and tell people why free library groups are cool, in the hopes we'll get more people at ours.
1.) They are usually free. Enough said.
2.) You often have more diverse writers. From poets to non-fiction writers to journalist to romance novelists to YA novelists. And don't discount advice from people outside your writing box. Many of my novels involve romance and for that reason I find the advice of my particular group member Meryl of Meryl's Musings indispensable. The romance in my novels often needs work, therefore, having her read my writing through her romance-author eyes helps me be aware of things my YA critique partners might not think of.
3.) Sometimes readers attend. In our group, we often have people that have never written at all, but just like to read and talk about writing. These people are tremendously helpful because no matter how hard you try not too, once you've started to write you look at every book through a writer's eyes. And in doing so, it's hard to forget how you read as just a reader. But people who don't write can do this, and therefore give you excellent feedback on your book from a reader's point of view.
4.) You get more people reading your book, which means you get more people to tell you sticky situations. And if one of them thinks your beginning doesn't pull them in or your character is too mean, then chances are when you send it off to an agent or editor, one of them might see your sticky situations, too. So it's best to clean them up now.
5.) You are already at the library, so it's easy to get more books!
--Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent
With Kate and Deena talking about writing retreats, I thought I'd talk to the budget writers among us. Those that want to get more serious about their writing, but maybe can't afford to go to a retreat right now or with young kids find it more difficult to travel to retreats.
The Web is great for these people with getting expert advice on writing, querying, and getting support from other writers. But sometimes you can't replace chatting with writers in-person.
And I thought some of you might not be aware that many of your local libraries have a wealth of information for writers (yes, shameless plug as a librarian, I know). Not only in terms of great books to check out, but also many of them have information about free local writers group or host a writer's group of their very own!!
Here in Michigan, almost every library I know of does programs at least one time a year for writers. Some of them might be bringing in authors to talk about their books or they could have weekly or monthly writing groups, like ours does.
Since the writing group at my library is about to start back up, I thought I'd send good vibes out into the universe and tell people why free library groups are cool, in the hopes we'll get more people at ours.
1.) They are usually free. Enough said.
2.) You often have more diverse writers. From poets to non-fiction writers to journalist to romance novelists to YA novelists. And don't discount advice from people outside your writing box. Many of my novels involve romance and for that reason I find the advice of my particular group member Meryl of Meryl's Musings indispensable. The romance in my novels often needs work, therefore, having her read my writing through her romance-author eyes helps me be aware of things my YA critique partners might not think of.
3.) Sometimes readers attend. In our group, we often have people that have never written at all, but just like to read and talk about writing. These people are tremendously helpful because no matter how hard you try not too, once you've started to write you look at every book through a writer's eyes. And in doing so, it's hard to forget how you read as just a reader. But people who don't write can do this, and therefore give you excellent feedback on your book from a reader's point of view.
4.) You get more people reading your book, which means you get more people to tell you sticky situations. And if one of them thinks your beginning doesn't pull them in or your character is too mean, then chances are when you send it off to an agent or editor, one of them might see your sticky situations, too. So it's best to clean them up now.
5.) You are already at the library, so it's easy to get more books!
--Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent
Monday, September 15, 2008
Be Jealous: I Went on a Weekend Writing Retreat
Tip of the Day: It's a math thing about attending writing conferences. (Time spent at conference) x (current volume of "To Be Read" pile) = (new, increased volume of TBR pile).
I just got back from the Western NY SCBWI Novel Revision Retreat weekend and boy is my brain tired. 13 talented writers and one talented editor spent the weekend together, finding strategies to revise our novels. Yes, it was super cool! Feel free to be jealous of me for a second (pause for your envy).
OK, maybe you'd be more jealous if I filled you in on some details. This was a small, intensive weekend retreat for writers with completed novels. We took turns sharing our summaries and reading a chapter or section we felt needed work. We presented a question or two on the passage, and our colleagues gave us phenomenally constructive critiques in a group discussion setting.
[Look at how happy we are! Talk about a great retreat. Thanks everyone!]
Our critiques went to the logic of plots, the wording of emotional turning points, the level of tension. It seemed like even when we approached an issue from different angles, we were able to get to the heart of why a particular point came up for discussion. I was so impressed by everyone's intelligence and helping spirit. I'm still processing everything I learned, but I came away with some insights I can share right now:
-- Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer
I just got back from the Western NY SCBWI Novel Revision Retreat weekend and boy is my brain tired. 13 talented writers and one talented editor spent the weekend together, finding strategies to revise our novels. Yes, it was super cool! Feel free to be jealous of me for a second (pause for your envy).
OK, maybe you'd be more jealous if I filled you in on some details. This was a small, intensive weekend retreat for writers with completed novels. We took turns sharing our summaries and reading a chapter or section we felt needed work. We presented a question or two on the passage, and our colleagues gave us phenomenally constructive critiques in a group discussion setting.
[Look at how happy we are! Talk about a great retreat. Thanks everyone!]
Our critiques went to the logic of plots, the wording of emotional turning points, the level of tension. It seemed like even when we approached an issue from different angles, we were able to get to the heart of why a particular point came up for discussion. I was so impressed by everyone's intelligence and helping spirit. I'm still processing everything I learned, but I came away with some insights I can share right now:
- Obstacles and conflict are not the same thing. True tension is created when an obstacle is fully integrated into the entire story; otherwise, it might just be an inconvenience.
- There can be such a thing as a shared vision for a story. I want to communicate my vision for my story, and I want an editor with a vision for my story.
- Plain language can be extremely effective, especially in conveying emotion, and every story needs to integrate the main character's emotional journey at every point, in almost every passage. The POV doesn't get to lapse into "observer mode."
- What you enjoy writing makes a difference. Play to your strengths. Yes, definitely stretch and try new things, but I could tell when listening to early drafts of a novel which parts the author had the most fun writing.
- Revising a novel is challenging mental work. There's no guidebook. We each have to approach it differently--and support each other on the way.
I especially want to thank Amy Emm, my SCBWI Regional Coordinator, for putting together a useful, valuable conference that went without a hitch. And I'd also like to give her a shout out for being a fun person to talk craft with (and play Taboo with).
There. Now you may be appropriately jealous.-- Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer
Saturday, September 13, 2008
I LOVE YOUR BLOG!! **Special Saturday Edition**
Thank you SO much Meryl’s Musings for nominating A2A for the I LOVE YOUR BLOG award!!
We were all so excited to see that we are one of your favorite blogs and it definitely motivates us to keep on blog blog blogging along. So now it is our turn to nominate seven blogs for this award. And, once you receive this award, the rules are as follows:
1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you (as shown above).
3) Nominate at least seven other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
The other misses and I decided to each nominate favorite writing blogs that we’ve found super useful to us in some way. So here we go:
From Kate:
1 ~~ The Writer Beware! Blog-- Authors A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss dish the dirt behind publishing scams. It's like the writer's version of Law and Order, and it also has great information on how legitimate agents and publishers operate.
From Emily:
2 ~~ Agent Nathan Bransford--Excellent tips for aspiring writers querying agents or still learning their craft.
From Deena:
3 ~~ Cynthia Lord's LJ-- Her writing tips, her writing journey, and her writing style combined with her husband's photos are completely inspirational. I look forward to reading every one of her posts. She remains humble, gracious, and generous no matter how "famous" she gets as her fabulous book RULES gets more and more attention.
4 ~~ Kristin Nelson's blog-- Her short, daily posts are to the point, helpful to my writing, pitching, querying, and they give me insider information on what goes on in an agent's office, and the business side of publishing. She is also very generous and responsive to questions from readers.
From Kristina:
5 ~~ Shrinking Violet Promotions--Writers Robin LaFevers and Mary Hershey share great tips on how to promote your book when you are more introvert than extrovert.
From Lisa:
6 ~~ Disco mermaids-- They are funny and they talk writing and did I say they are funny?
7 ~~ Laini Taylor-- She talks about her writing life, and her husband's artistic life, and their cool life together.
We hope you take some time to check out these great blogs!
Friday, September 12, 2008
A2A Meta Chat with Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer
Tip of the Day: Check back tomorrow where we give thanks for the I Love Your Blog Award and pass the award on to seven other well-deserved blogs.
Today I get the pleasure of sharing my interview with Kate, which I really enjoyed because I felt like out of all the A2A gals, I knew the least about Kate.
1. What kind of books do you enjoy writing the most and why?
Humor, definitely. It makes me very happy to make people laugh. I wrote a haunted house book last year for NaNoWriMo, but even in a scary story, I had to write funny scenes and characters.
(Lisa: Oh good, we need more funny stories on the shelves!)
2. You work and have kids, right? How do you find the time to write? Any tips for those of us juggling a day job and a family and trying to squeeze time in there to write as well?
Tips??? From me? Unfortunately I tend to sacrifice sleep, which I can't do for long periods of time without getting sick. I know some people wake up early to write but I'm super fuzzy-headed in the morning. Mostly, I take a lot of notes. I carry index cards and pens so I can jot down dialogue and ideas that come to me in the car or on my lunch break. Then after the kids go to bed, I can trick myself into writing by telling myself "I'll just transcribe what I wrote down earlier." That usually gets me into the story enough to continue. Oh, and external deadlines help me a lot! I WILL get my chapter done if someone's waiting to critique it. I'm highly motivated by shame.
(Lisa: Yeah, notecards are a writer’s best friend at work)
3. What's one thing you've learned about your craft lately that you wish you'd known sooner?
OK, one thing I learned this year is not to stress so much about not having an outline or a scene spreadsheet, or all my little forms filled out and ducks in a row, before my story is told. Not having a chapter-by-chapter outline doesn't mean I'm a slacker. I realized that I NEVER stick to the outline. Sometimes I've shot myself in the foot trying to force my story to fit my outline, you know? But I obsess. "Other people have outlines, maybe they're smarter than I am. Maybe they know what they're doing and I don't." I'm trying to be more about getting to the heart of the story now.
(Lisa: Great advice for all of us - we have to find what works well for US and not worry about what other people do)
4. Are you a plunger or a plotter?
I'm an obsessor! I guess it depends how you define "plotter." I don't do well with a written summary in front of me, but I have to spend a lot of time thinking about a story before I can start writing it. I love to research crazy subjects. I'm a total Wikipedia addict. It takes me a long time to mentally find a match between the subjects that interest me and settings that interest me and characters I like.
(Lisa: No wonder I struggle to come up with story ideas. I don’t look up crazy subjects in Wikipedia!)
5. What kind of music do you like and do you listen to music while you write?
Lisa, you had to ask this question! I have playlists in my iPod named after my characters and books. I find it very helpful. I listened to Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun album so much while I wrote my haunted house story that hearing any songs from that album puts me right into that story world. The playlist for the novel I'm working now includes Fiona Apple, Muse, and Arctic Monkeys. Angst, much? Of course the headphones are great for drowning out the sounds of my kids destroying their bedrooms. Did I mention "pretend you didn't hear whatever you just heard and whatever it is, you'll fix it later" in my "finding time to write" response? Seriously, on Saturday mornings, if I let myself get interrupted every time something goes crashing down the stairs, I'd never get any writing done.
(Lisa: OMG, your Saturday mornings sound exactly like mine. Turn up the tunes, tune out the noise, and write!)
Thanks for chatting with me, Kate! What a fun week this was!!
~Lisa, Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed
Today I get the pleasure of sharing my interview with Kate, which I really enjoyed because I felt like out of all the A2A gals, I knew the least about Kate.
1. What kind of books do you enjoy writing the most and why?
Humor, definitely. It makes me very happy to make people laugh. I wrote a haunted house book last year for NaNoWriMo, but even in a scary story, I had to write funny scenes and characters.
(Lisa: Oh good, we need more funny stories on the shelves!)
2. You work and have kids, right? How do you find the time to write? Any tips for those of us juggling a day job and a family and trying to squeeze time in there to write as well?
Tips??? From me? Unfortunately I tend to sacrifice sleep, which I can't do for long periods of time without getting sick. I know some people wake up early to write but I'm super fuzzy-headed in the morning. Mostly, I take a lot of notes. I carry index cards and pens so I can jot down dialogue and ideas that come to me in the car or on my lunch break. Then after the kids go to bed, I can trick myself into writing by telling myself "I'll just transcribe what I wrote down earlier." That usually gets me into the story enough to continue. Oh, and external deadlines help me a lot! I WILL get my chapter done if someone's waiting to critique it. I'm highly motivated by shame.
(Lisa: Yeah, notecards are a writer’s best friend at work)
3. What's one thing you've learned about your craft lately that you wish you'd known sooner?
OK, one thing I learned this year is not to stress so much about not having an outline or a scene spreadsheet, or all my little forms filled out and ducks in a row, before my story is told. Not having a chapter-by-chapter outline doesn't mean I'm a slacker. I realized that I NEVER stick to the outline. Sometimes I've shot myself in the foot trying to force my story to fit my outline, you know? But I obsess. "Other people have outlines, maybe they're smarter than I am. Maybe they know what they're doing and I don't." I'm trying to be more about getting to the heart of the story now.
(Lisa: Great advice for all of us - we have to find what works well for US and not worry about what other people do)
4. Are you a plunger or a plotter?
I'm an obsessor! I guess it depends how you define "plotter." I don't do well with a written summary in front of me, but I have to spend a lot of time thinking about a story before I can start writing it. I love to research crazy subjects. I'm a total Wikipedia addict. It takes me a long time to mentally find a match between the subjects that interest me and settings that interest me and characters I like.
(Lisa: No wonder I struggle to come up with story ideas. I don’t look up crazy subjects in Wikipedia!)
5. What kind of music do you like and do you listen to music while you write?
Lisa, you had to ask this question! I have playlists in my iPod named after my characters and books. I find it very helpful. I listened to Guster's Ganging Up on the Sun album so much while I wrote my haunted house story that hearing any songs from that album puts me right into that story world. The playlist for the novel I'm working now includes Fiona Apple, Muse, and Arctic Monkeys. Angst, much? Of course the headphones are great for drowning out the sounds of my kids destroying their bedrooms. Did I mention "pretend you didn't hear whatever you just heard and whatever it is, you'll fix it later" in my "finding time to write" response? Seriously, on Saturday mornings, if I let myself get interrupted every time something goes crashing down the stairs, I'd never get any writing done.
(Lisa: OMG, your Saturday mornings sound exactly like mine. Turn up the tunes, tune out the noise, and write!)
Thanks for chatting with me, Kate! What a fun week this was!!
~Lisa, Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed
Thursday, September 11, 2008
A2A Meta Chat with Miss Pinch Me I'm Pubbed
Tip of the Day: If you’re going to write at Starbucks this month, try to get there slightly before 2 p.m. and they’ll give you a “treat receipt” that will let you buy another drink after 2 p.m. for $2.
Today I get to interview the fabulous Lisa Schroeder. With one YA book out and another coming in January she’s our publishing expert and I have lots of questions for her!
1) How much of your life experiences go into your books? Are any of your characters like you in anyway and if so-- can you tell us something you share with one of them?
So far, my books don't really have anything to do with my real life. Except, at their core, my two novels have to do with kids going through hard times and coming out the other side okay. I can relate to that, having had some difficult times with my parents divorcing when I was younger. But mostly, everything about my books are made up. As far as characters that are like me, uh, no, not really. I'm too boring!
[Kristina: Well poop. I’m one of those people who likes to believe that whatever happened in the book has happened to the author. I was hoping for a good my old boyfriend haunted me story. :-)]
2) What are three of your favorite things?
Hugs from my kids
Lilacs
Ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies
[Kristina:Oooh, good favorites! Now I want a cookie. And a hug.]
3) How do you prepare for a book signing/speaking engagement and do they get easier the more that you do them?
I write out what I want to say, even though I don't necessarily take the whole written thing with me. I think that works well for me because I'm a writer first, a speaker second. I want to write it out and know what I want to say, and then from there figure out how I'm going to present it. Once I have what I want to say down, I practice in the car. Who cares if people think I'm crazy because I'm talking to myself. It's a great place to practice and since I'm in the car for an hour a day, commuting back and forth to work, it's a way to put that time to good use.
It definitely gets easier the more you do them. For me, really, it's not the speaking that worries me anymore, it's having something worthwhile to say! If people are coming to spend their valuable time with me, I don't want them to walk away wishing they had done something else with that hour of time. So I worry more about that more than anything.
[Kristina: I wouldn’t worry about people thinking you’re talking to yourself. With all the hands-free headsets for the cells now everyone looks like they are talking to themselves.]
4) What do you do to keep calm when you are waiting for a BIG CALL from your editor or agent?
I don't know! I think it's good that I work a day job because if I stay busy, I don't think about it too much. It's the slower days when my mind creeps there and I start thinking about it and getting anxious.
The thing is, in this business, we will always be waiting for something. After you sell, you then wait for the editorial letter, then the contract, then the advance, then the copy edits, then the ARCs, then the final book, then the reviews, etc. etc. Of course I want my manuscripts to sell and to start on the exciting journey of watching my words turn into a real, live book. But I've learned I just have to let it go - I can't control how quickly something will sell, no matter how much I wish I could. When it's out of my hands, I really try to focus on the things that are in my hands, like finishing the next book, working on promotion for my other books, and remembering that it's important to have fun and spend time with my family too!
[Kristina: Good point!]
5) What things do you NEED to have when you sit down to write?
Mostly, I just need a good chunk of time. It's so hard for me to get into a story if I only have 15 minutes. I need a good hour, at least. I also NEED my inner critic to go for a walk around the block while I do my thing. It's so frustrating on the days I can't seem to shut her up. Some days, I need to listen to a certain song or certain type of music to get me to the place I need to be to create the emotion I want to create.
In the early mornings, I make myself a cup of tea, and sip on that. I find in the afternoons, I like to chew gum while I write. I'd love to have a big bowl of M&Ms, but I can't be gaining weight every time I write a book, so gum is really the best. :)
[Kristina: Ok, M&Ms would be funny. Then you’d gain weight with each book just like with each baby. And people would shake their heads and whisper to each other, “She never did lose that book weight.”]
Thanks for answering my questions Lisa! Tomorrow Lisa’s posting the final interview with Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer, so don’t miss it!
Kristina, Miss Soon-to-Pub
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
A2A Meta Chat (or Kristina Explains it All)
Tip of the Day: As the summer days cool into fall days, dress in layers and ignore your manpanion if he says he doesn't like your "shapless shawls" (aka cardigans) that you wear to stave off inclimate indoor heating and cooling.
Welcome to Wednesday morning on A2A. Today you get to learn about my CP and your Thursday blogger, Kristina Springer! She is a talented, funny, gorgeous woman. I had the pleasure of reading her novel THE ESPRESSOLOGIST when it was merely a fledging book and I knew then it would sell. I'm so happy I was right! Here's some more cool stuff from Tina's mouth. :)
1) With 4 kids, a husband, and lots of driving around to take the family here and there, how and when do you make time to write?
I have 4 ropes that I tie to the porch that are only long enough to just barely meet the sidewalk out front. So, when we're home, I tie one to each kid and let them run around while I write on the porch.
KIDDING.
It really is pretty chaotic around here most of the time since my oldest is 5 and the youngest is three months. But I still manage to, I think, get quite a bit done. Writing is relaxing to me so the kids' job is to drive me insane all day so then a few times a week when my husband gets home he'll feed, bathe, and put the kids to bed while I'll go to Starbucks to write. It works out great—I think I write faster this way.
Deena: I am so impressed! This just goes to show that anyone who wants to write will make the time to write.
2) What parts of the publishing process so far have surprised you?
Editing. You think something is done and wonderful but then it goes through 5 or 6 rounds of editing and there is always still new stuff to be found and fixed. Oh -- and more specifically? Line editing completely baffled me. Now I understand all of those funny squiggles and lines but with the first round of line edits came I wanted to cry.
Deena: Yeah, I was a legal editor and I still didn't understand those marks you shared. Crazy publishing world! ;)
3) What novel idea that you haven't written a word of yet do you really want to work on?
Oooh —- tough question! I have a number of books in the works but I always write a few pages to a few chaps to get them going so I don't forget the idea. One of the ones that I haven't "officially" started that I would like to write some day is a second Espressologist —- one where I send the girls to Europe for more love, laughs, and coffee.
Deena: I want to read that second ESPRESSOLOGIST book! Please write it!
4) If you could live anywhere for a year and write, where would it be and what do you think you'd write while there?
How about a two-fer? I'd love to live in Paris for a year and write a great romantic comedy that hits the bestseller list and then is turned into a blockbuster hit with a really dreamy cast. And I'd also like to live in Southern California and write a YA Chicklit in that setting.
Deena: Hey, two-fers are perfect. We indulge fantasies here. I'll come visit you in both your locations for writing retreats!
5) Will you ever write a boy main character?
Are you making fun of me Deena? :-)
Deena is one of my wonderful critique partners and as she knows I have a tough time with male characters. I'm trying hard though! That is one of the areas I have to revise A LOT. You would think growing up in a house with three brothers I'd have this nailed. But alas -— they still puzzle me. And I'm going to let you in on a secret -— this weekend I bought He's Just Not That into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo at the library booksale. (It promises to tell exactly what men think about every situation.) Not for personal reasons (see kids 1 through 4) but to get insight into how men think. The hope is that someday I will attempt a male main character. We shall see!
Deena: Hey, I haven't written a guy MC yet either...maybe we'll have to try together. I do have an idea for an alternating pov boy and girl.... I love the book you got for your research into the male mind!
Thanks for your answers, Tina! All of us at A2A look forward to hearing about your next book!
Deena, Miss Recently Repped
Welcome to Wednesday morning on A2A. Today you get to learn about my CP and your Thursday blogger, Kristina Springer! She is a talented, funny, gorgeous woman. I had the pleasure of reading her novel THE ESPRESSOLOGIST when it was merely a fledging book and I knew then it would sell. I'm so happy I was right! Here's some more cool stuff from Tina's mouth. :)
1) With 4 kids, a husband, and lots of driving around to take the family here and there, how and when do you make time to write?
I have 4 ropes that I tie to the porch that are only long enough to just barely meet the sidewalk out front. So, when we're home, I tie one to each kid and let them run around while I write on the porch.
KIDDING.
It really is pretty chaotic around here most of the time since my oldest is 5 and the youngest is three months. But I still manage to, I think, get quite a bit done. Writing is relaxing to me so the kids' job is to drive me insane all day so then a few times a week when my husband gets home he'll feed, bathe, and put the kids to bed while I'll go to Starbucks to write. It works out great—I think I write faster this way.
Deena: I am so impressed! This just goes to show that anyone who wants to write will make the time to write.
2) What parts of the publishing process so far have surprised you?
Editing. You think something is done and wonderful but then it goes through 5 or 6 rounds of editing and there is always still new stuff to be found and fixed. Oh -- and more specifically? Line editing completely baffled me. Now I understand all of those funny squiggles and lines but with the first round of line edits came I wanted to cry.
Deena: Yeah, I was a legal editor and I still didn't understand those marks you shared. Crazy publishing world! ;)
3) What novel idea that you haven't written a word of yet do you really want to work on?
Oooh —- tough question! I have a number of books in the works but I always write a few pages to a few chaps to get them going so I don't forget the idea. One of the ones that I haven't "officially" started that I would like to write some day is a second Espressologist —- one where I send the girls to Europe for more love, laughs, and coffee.
Deena: I want to read that second ESPRESSOLOGIST book! Please write it!
4) If you could live anywhere for a year and write, where would it be and what do you think you'd write while there?
How about a two-fer? I'd love to live in Paris for a year and write a great romantic comedy that hits the bestseller list and then is turned into a blockbuster hit with a really dreamy cast. And I'd also like to live in Southern California and write a YA Chicklit in that setting.
Deena: Hey, two-fers are perfect. We indulge fantasies here. I'll come visit you in both your locations for writing retreats!
5) Will you ever write a boy main character?
Are you making fun of me Deena? :-)
Deena is one of my wonderful critique partners and as she knows I have a tough time with male characters. I'm trying hard though! That is one of the areas I have to revise A LOT. You would think growing up in a house with three brothers I'd have this nailed. But alas -— they still puzzle me. And I'm going to let you in on a secret -— this weekend I bought He's Just Not That into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo at the library booksale. (It promises to tell exactly what men think about every situation.) Not for personal reasons (see kids 1 through 4) but to get insight into how men think. The hope is that someday I will attempt a male main character. We shall see!
Deena: Hey, I haven't written a guy MC yet either...maybe we'll have to try together. I do have an idea for an alternating pov boy and girl.... I love the book you got for your research into the male mind!
Thanks for your answers, Tina! All of us at A2A look forward to hearing about your next book!
Deena, Miss Recently Repped
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