Pink Shoelaces, the YA short story I posted here in May placed in the top 2% of the 79th Annual Writer's Digest competition. The email I received had the subject of "congratulations" and this is what it said:
Dear Maria Buscher,
One of my most enjoyable tasks as editor of Writer’s Digest is passing along good news to writers. This is one of those fun occasions. It is my pleasure to tell you that your entry, Pink Shoelaces, has been awarded 21st place in Childrens/Young Adult Fiction category of the 79th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition. You will receive your Certificate of Achievement which honors your accomplishment in the near future. Finishing among the top 100 entries is an accomplishment you can be proud of. Your success in the face of such formidable competition speaks highly of your writing talent, and should be a source of great pride as you continue in your writing career.
All 1,001 winners will be listed at www.writersdigest.com after the December issue is published. The Grand Prize manuscript, the First Place manuscript in each category, and the names of the top 100 winners in each category will be printed in a special competition collection. If you would like to order copies of the Competition Collection, please use the order form which will be included in the envelope with your certificate. The Competition Collections are scheduled to begin mailing in December.
I congratulate you again on your accomplishment, and wish you the best of luck in your future writing.
Respectfully,
Jessica Strawser, Editor
Writer’s Digest
So at first I wasn't impressed to be in the top 100 (even at the 21st spot), and I think this is just the "first born" perfectionist that resides in me. However, upon closer inspection the top 100 is the top 10%, at 1,0001 WINNERS, not entries. I'm feeling pretty good about this now. So OK, 21st place: not too shabby. And I also like that it's a multiple of 7, but let's not go there now. That's one of my little quirks.
Here is a quick link to the story right here on my blog:
http://romancingthewriter.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html
I wrote this story a few years ago, and pulled it out when I heard about the contest. In order to meet the word count, I trimmed it by about 1,500 words.
This is actually a very sad story, loosely based on a true story. About 8 years ago an 8th grader at a local middle school in our town hung herself in a bathroom stall from her shoelaces. At the time, my oldest son was a 7th grader at the same school. The school was under "lock down" when the principal found her and valiantly ran for help. Paramedics were summoned and the other kids were kept inside as they tried to revive her. I heard about the incident a day later as it made the local news.
As happens to often with writers, the story stayed with me and didn't full leave me until I spilled it out onto paper. Most of the story is entirely fictional, of course. By the way, some of the elements I originally had in my story were watered down (as in cut out) to meet the 2,000 word count limit.
I'd love to market this story and possibly sell it now that I have the rights back. Any ideas would be welcome.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thoughts on Self Publishing
I love supporting new and unpublished authors, and have met quite a few of them. As has been said, everyone has at least one story to tell. I would never for one moment think that because an author is unpublished it means they’re not talented. After all, here I am (you saw that one coming, didn’t you?).
One of my oldest friends has self-published a book although it is non-fiction, and I do believe that non-fiction is a different situation. My friend Linda McKnight is a long time preschool teacher and parent and wrote the book Mommy's Rainy Day Survival Guide.
Once, while searching author sites on the Internet, I came across a Podcast with an author who shall remain nameless for reasons that will become apparent. This setting was a wonderful opportunity for the author to plug her novel. In the course of the Podcast, I learned that the author had self-published. I went to her website, anxious to read an excerpt of the novel they were discussing. Finally, I arrived and began reading. Now. I’m not an editor, but I quickly learned that the author had not taken the time to hire a proofreader, let alone an editor.
Call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s wise to take a manuscript to print without a quick look-see by an editor or at least a member of the Grammar Police (of which I am a card carrying member, ahem). The author’s work contained numerous spelling and grammatical errors, and horrors ---- the use of the wrong “there”! I have been called a grammar Nazi before, but really -- if you don’t know the difference between there/their/they’re, perhaps an editor could help!
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have come across an issue like this one in self-publishing. This is not cool because it gives self-publishing a bad name. This may be at the heart of the issue that agents and publishing houses have with self-published authors. Of course, this could be avoided by hiring an editor before publishing your final draft.
You may have a great story, but you will turn off most readers if you can’t spell. They will wonder if the rest of your story is worth reading or perhaps you just fell into some money and decided to spend it on self-indulgence, publishing a story that few people other than your family members will read.
*Disclaimer: this post was written and published without the use of a professional editor.
One of my oldest friends has self-published a book although it is non-fiction, and I do believe that non-fiction is a different situation. My friend Linda McKnight is a long time preschool teacher and parent and wrote the book Mommy's Rainy Day Survival Guide.
Once, while searching author sites on the Internet, I came across a Podcast with an author who shall remain nameless for reasons that will become apparent. This setting was a wonderful opportunity for the author to plug her novel. In the course of the Podcast, I learned that the author had self-published. I went to her website, anxious to read an excerpt of the novel they were discussing. Finally, I arrived and began reading. Now. I’m not an editor, but I quickly learned that the author had not taken the time to hire a proofreader, let alone an editor.
Call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s wise to take a manuscript to print without a quick look-see by an editor or at least a member of the Grammar Police (of which I am a card carrying member, ahem). The author’s work contained numerous spelling and grammatical errors, and horrors ---- the use of the wrong “there”! I have been called a grammar Nazi before, but really -- if you don’t know the difference between there/their/they’re, perhaps an editor could help!
Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have come across an issue like this one in self-publishing. This is not cool because it gives self-publishing a bad name. This may be at the heart of the issue that agents and publishing houses have with self-published authors. Of course, this could be avoided by hiring an editor before publishing your final draft.
You may have a great story, but you will turn off most readers if you can’t spell. They will wonder if the rest of your story is worth reading or perhaps you just fell into some money and decided to spend it on self-indulgence, publishing a story that few people other than your family members will read.
*Disclaimer: this post was written and published without the use of a professional editor.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A Few Words from a Literary Agent...
Recently, I was privileged to listen in on a teleseminar as Randy Peyser, local author of "From Crappy to Happy", interviewed literary agent Linda Langton.
I was pleased to hear that Linda is one agent who will always give feedback to an author. She prefers to receive "snail mail" queries. By the way, a proper query letter will be well-crafted, short and to the point. It should contain one paragraph on the author, and one to two paragraphs about the book.
A novel should never be queried to an agent before complete. A sample book proposal should include a chapter by chapter outline, as well as three chapters to showcase the author's writing style. It is also common and acceptable to query more than one agent at a time. Just let them know.
Linda also had an opinion on self-publishing. She opined that you're more likely to be signed by a publishing house if your self-published book has won an award, and sold a decent amount of copies.
I have my own opinions on self-publishing fiction, but more on that later.
Linda is interested in receiving queries on what is selling right now, and that includes Young Adult (YA): vampires/fantasy/magical realism (think Twilight). In non-fiction "how to" and inspirational books (like Randy's) are quite popular.
Crappy to Happy: Small Steps to Big Happiness NOW!
I was pleased to hear that Linda is one agent who will always give feedback to an author. She prefers to receive "snail mail" queries. By the way, a proper query letter will be well-crafted, short and to the point. It should contain one paragraph on the author, and one to two paragraphs about the book.
A novel should never be queried to an agent before complete. A sample book proposal should include a chapter by chapter outline, as well as three chapters to showcase the author's writing style. It is also common and acceptable to query more than one agent at a time. Just let them know.
Linda also had an opinion on self-publishing. She opined that you're more likely to be signed by a publishing house if your self-published book has won an award, and sold a decent amount of copies.
I have my own opinions on self-publishing fiction, but more on that later.
Linda is interested in receiving queries on what is selling right now, and that includes Young Adult (YA): vampires/fantasy/magical realism (think Twilight). In non-fiction "how to" and inspirational books (like Randy's) are quite popular.
Crappy to Happy: Small Steps to Big Happiness NOW!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Chapters...when and how?
A few weeks ago, one of my favorite blogs discussed chapter length.
Is there an industry standard on chapter length? Do you stop at a particular point in the story and leave your reader hanging?
I remember once reading an article about a well-known author who actually did say that she knew her publisher expected 1,000 word chapters and that this was a formula she followed. A quick perusal of some of my favorite novels reveals that there is uniformity in regard to chapter length. Yet, most of the authors (mostly unpublished...hmmmm) did seem of the opinion that there was no hard and fast rule on chapter length.
Still, if a novel is to have a good pace, it makes sense that chapters would be a unifying basis for the pacing of the story.
Hey, makes sense to me.
Is there an industry standard on chapter length? Do you stop at a particular point in the story and leave your reader hanging?
I remember once reading an article about a well-known author who actually did say that she knew her publisher expected 1,000 word chapters and that this was a formula she followed. A quick perusal of some of my favorite novels reveals that there is uniformity in regard to chapter length. Yet, most of the authors (mostly unpublished...hmmmm) did seem of the opinion that there was no hard and fast rule on chapter length.
Still, if a novel is to have a good pace, it makes sense that chapters would be a unifying basis for the pacing of the story.
Hey, makes sense to me.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
The Trailer...or the bait and hook
No, I'm not talking about fishing. You've probably noticed how the back of a book has a brief synopsis of the novel you've just picked up to peruse. If the author has done their job, you will feel compelled to shuffle up to the cash register and hand over your hard earned cash. Or, at the very least go to the library and hand over your card.
I've been working on number one, and in fact my word count is now at 15,993! My Friday morning writer's group has helped to keep me on track. Just the idea that these first readers of mine want to know "what's next?" keeps me moving forward, and not going back and editing like I am compelled to do.
The other thing I have done is completed an outline of the plot points of the story - nothing too contricting, but something to keep me moving forward. Much of it was already in my head, but yes it does help to put it down on paper for those times when I find myself staring out the window and thinking, "Where was I going with this?" In completing that outline, the back of the book trailer just came to me like a gift. Here it is:
The novel is Adam's Fall (working title) coming soon to a bookstore near you...
I've been working on number one, and in fact my word count is now at 15,993! My Friday morning writer's group has helped to keep me on track. Just the idea that these first readers of mine want to know "what's next?" keeps me moving forward, and not going back and editing like I am compelled to do.
The other thing I have done is completed an outline of the plot points of the story - nothing too contricting, but something to keep me moving forward. Much of it was already in my head, but yes it does help to put it down on paper for those times when I find myself staring out the window and thinking, "Where was I going with this?" In completing that outline, the back of the book trailer just came to me like a gift. Here it is:
How many ways can a man be haunted? Adam Yates is a man haunted in more ways than one. Haunted in his dreams by a beautiful woman he can never have, haunted by the memory of a costly mistake, haunted by a ghost who seems bent on revenge.
Carey Hopkins has lived her life with the strange gift of seeing the dead – but when she finally meets a man who seems to know her inside out, will she finally find love or will she be forced to compete with a ghost?
The novel is Adam's Fall (working title) coming soon to a bookstore near you...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Premise? What Premise?
null
I've read this book before, but going through it again for advice and pointers. What I find most interesting is that the author James Frey suggests that every good novel must have a premise. In fact, he goes so far as to suggest that you DO not have a good novel WITHOUT a premise. A premise has also been called theme.
An example he mentions is the premise “love leads to loneliness”. The plot of the story is of a man who lives happily alone in a lighthouse for many years. He's rather content in his solitude, until on a trip to the mainland he falls madly in love. He returns to the lighthouse with his new bride, who at first falls in love with the charm of the lighthouse. After a few months, though, and a difficult winter, the bride wants to move to a warmer climate. Because he loves his bride, he agrees to move to Arizona. Eventually he cannot cope with the heat, and begs his wife to return with him to the lighthouse. Reluctantly she agrees to move back. However, this time his wife leaves him with a note, "Do not try to find me." The man knows that he won't - he's alone again, but this time it's a crushing loneliness. Thus, love leads to loneliness. I don't know what genre this story would fit, but certainly not romance!
I’m glad that Mr. Frey does mention that there is disagreement in the writing community on the issue of the importance of premise. Many writers operate on instinct, and that instinct works well for them. I would love to hear from other writers on the issue of premise. Do you always start out with a premise?
Thinking this over, though, I do believe that the premise of every satisfying romance novel is: Eventually, true love conquers all. Is there anything better?
I've read this book before, but going through it again for advice and pointers. What I find most interesting is that the author James Frey suggests that every good novel must have a premise. In fact, he goes so far as to suggest that you DO not have a good novel WITHOUT a premise. A premise has also been called theme.
An example he mentions is the premise “love leads to loneliness”. The plot of the story is of a man who lives happily alone in a lighthouse for many years. He's rather content in his solitude, until on a trip to the mainland he falls madly in love. He returns to the lighthouse with his new bride, who at first falls in love with the charm of the lighthouse. After a few months, though, and a difficult winter, the bride wants to move to a warmer climate. Because he loves his bride, he agrees to move to Arizona. Eventually he cannot cope with the heat, and begs his wife to return with him to the lighthouse. Reluctantly she agrees to move back. However, this time his wife leaves him with a note, "Do not try to find me." The man knows that he won't - he's alone again, but this time it's a crushing loneliness. Thus, love leads to loneliness. I don't know what genre this story would fit, but certainly not romance!
I’m glad that Mr. Frey does mention that there is disagreement in the writing community on the issue of the importance of premise. Many writers operate on instinct, and that instinct works well for them. I would love to hear from other writers on the issue of premise. Do you always start out with a premise?
Thinking this over, though, I do believe that the premise of every satisfying romance novel is: Eventually, true love conquers all. Is there anything better?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Thousand Words a Day
On Writing
Some of you know that I have two novels in various states of completion. Both of them are contemporary romance novels. The challenge has been to sit down and write, not go back and edit. I must get through at least the first draft! This is a challenge as there is an editor in me that is tough to suppress. The goal is to write 1,000 words a day. The average length of a novel is 75,000 to 100,000 words.
As long as I don't focus too much on word count (there!how many is that now? can I go to bed now? can I read? I'm dying to finish that novel...) this should work.
One of my favorite books on writing is Stephen King's own "On Writing". I would pick it up if you're an aspiring writer. Whether you like King's writing or not (and I do) no one can deny the man is a prolific author.
Some of you know that I have two novels in various states of completion. Both of them are contemporary romance novels. The challenge has been to sit down and write, not go back and edit. I must get through at least the first draft! This is a challenge as there is an editor in me that is tough to suppress. The goal is to write 1,000 words a day. The average length of a novel is 75,000 to 100,000 words.
As long as I don't focus too much on word count (there!how many is that now? can I go to bed now? can I read? I'm dying to finish that novel...) this should work.
One of my favorite books on writing is Stephen King's own "On Writing". I would pick it up if you're an aspiring writer. Whether you like King's writing or not (and I do) no one can deny the man is a prolific author.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)