Did I do housework today?
nope.
Did I work at the library today?
nope.
Did I cook up a storm?
nope
Did I do things with the 10 year old on her last day of school?
nope.
(she made arrangements to go to the pool with a group of friends and had an enjoyable day off from everything. Okay, a half-day, since she is in the special choral group that sang in the morning during the 5th grade graduation.)
Actually, I had a very productive day printing out manuscripts and getting them ready to send out.
One that I'm especially proud of is the manuscript that I sent to the Hunger Mountain Katherine Paterson writer's contest. I finally managed to get the first page of that manuscript to say what I had visualized. Every time I had revised that page before, it still sounded clunky. But today I figured out the words and phrases I needed to make it sparkle. Yippee!
The Deadline for the Katherine Paterson Prize for YA and Children’s Writing is June 30th! And I got mine into the mail, today. How about you?
-wendieO
Showing posts with label writing/. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing/. Show all posts
Friday, June 18, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Writing progress
Friday I spent the day BIC, working on market research. Trying to discover publishers who still are accepting submissions. Now to address the envelopes and get some of these stories out there.
Patricia Wrede keeps saying, "Publishers don't make house calls searching for manuscripts -- you gotta send them out."
Ooooo, check her blog. (click on her name above) On May 19th she said, "The first thing you need to know about getting published is that the process is best described as interminably long stretches of boredom and anxiety, punctuated by moments of panic and frantic activity. And this applies to the whole process, not just the submission part."
I find it so frustrating that you do all this market research to the best of your ability, only to have your manuscript returned or tossed because the publisher's submission requirements have changed. And they haven't updated the market sources to reflect it. (printed and online market sources are always behind with this.)
You follow the rules and obey the speed limits and submit what they say they want the way they want it, and it's still submission-fail. Is it any wonder that agents are complaining that they can't handle all the people who are trying to get an agent -- when publishers are closing doors, what can a writer do but try to find an agent?
And it took me two years to discover that agents never ever want to accept a writer with a picture book manuscript. Instant rejection. (mostly instant deletion and never telling the writers.) They'll represent writer/ illustrators, or writers of middle grade and up, but not picture book writers. Now I feel so dumb even to have tried getting an agent. (agents think picture book writers can submit things themselves, but publishers are closing their doors, soooo -- it's Catch 22.)
Well, now that I have several picture book ms. in the mail, it's back to working on my middle grade manuscript that perhaps an agent just 'might' consider.
On the home front -- upper grade chorus concert tonight. (the 10-year-old spent half the evening last night trying on outfits to see what still fit) And her piano concert is in two weeks. She knows two of her three pieces. The third piece has the right and left hand doing different things and she just hasn't figured it out, yet.
-WendieO
Patricia Wrede keeps saying, "Publishers don't make house calls searching for manuscripts -- you gotta send them out."
Ooooo, check her blog. (click on her name above) On May 19th she said, "The first thing you need to know about getting published is that the process is best described as interminably long stretches of boredom and anxiety, punctuated by moments of panic and frantic activity. And this applies to the whole process, not just the submission part."
I find it so frustrating that you do all this market research to the best of your ability, only to have your manuscript returned or tossed because the publisher's submission requirements have changed. And they haven't updated the market sources to reflect it. (printed and online market sources are always behind with this.)
You follow the rules and obey the speed limits and submit what they say they want the way they want it, and it's still submission-fail. Is it any wonder that agents are complaining that they can't handle all the people who are trying to get an agent -- when publishers are closing doors, what can a writer do but try to find an agent?
And it took me two years to discover that agents never ever want to accept a writer with a picture book manuscript. Instant rejection. (mostly instant deletion and never telling the writers.) They'll represent writer/ illustrators, or writers of middle grade and up, but not picture book writers. Now I feel so dumb even to have tried getting an agent. (agents think picture book writers can submit things themselves, but publishers are closing their doors, soooo -- it's Catch 22.)
Well, now that I have several picture book ms. in the mail, it's back to working on my middle grade manuscript that perhaps an agent just 'might' consider.
On the home front -- upper grade chorus concert tonight. (the 10-year-old spent half the evening last night trying on outfits to see what still fit) And her piano concert is in two weeks. She knows two of her three pieces. The third piece has the right and left hand doing different things and she just hasn't figured it out, yet.
-WendieO
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Manuscript mailed
One thing writers (and other creative people) have to learn is when to stop writing. (creating)
Me- I had a deadline of January 29th to get my manuscript to the organizers of the Vermont College Novel Writing workshop. (held in March) Which meant that I had to count backwards for MY deadline.
Count backwards? Yes.
Guessing how many days it might take the Post Office to get a manuscript packet from Baltimore to Montpelier, VT. If I mail it on this or that day, will it get there in time? Which means the last minute I can revise the thing will be???
Someone once said (and many have repeated it) that creative work isn't ever 'finished.' It's abandoned.
Soooo, I've spent the last week or so re-reading my submission and revising it. Adding to make things more clear. Which means, on the next re-read, I realize that places earlier in the manuscript need tweaking in order to forshadow the change/ additions/ improvements/ revisions that I had made.
Revising the synopsis.
Even rewriting the cover letter.
re-reading the instructions. Do I have everything?
Synopsis -- check
10 to 20 pages for the critique workshop booklet -- check
10 pages plus synopsis for the author/ advisor of the critique workshop -- check
10 pages plus synopsis for the visiting editor -- check
Am I sending more copies than I need to send? (probably)
And on Tuesday, I mailed the thing. (Had to FedEX it because I cut it too close to depend on the Post Office to get it there in time.
Whew! That's done.
(Oh dear, I just thought of something to add to the synopsis.... Too late.)
I'm taking vacation time off for a writing week next week. What piece of writing will I work on then?
-wendieOld
Me- I had a deadline of January 29th to get my manuscript to the organizers of the Vermont College Novel Writing workshop. (held in March) Which meant that I had to count backwards for MY deadline.
Count backwards? Yes.
Guessing how many days it might take the Post Office to get a manuscript packet from Baltimore to Montpelier, VT. If I mail it on this or that day, will it get there in time? Which means the last minute I can revise the thing will be???
Someone once said (and many have repeated it) that creative work isn't ever 'finished.' It's abandoned.
Soooo, I've spent the last week or so re-reading my submission and revising it. Adding to make things more clear. Which means, on the next re-read, I realize that places earlier in the manuscript need tweaking in order to forshadow the change/ additions/ improvements/ revisions that I had made.
Revising the synopsis.
Even rewriting the cover letter.
re-reading the instructions. Do I have everything?
Synopsis -- check
10 to 20 pages for the critique workshop booklet -- check
10 pages plus synopsis for the author/ advisor of the critique workshop -- check
10 pages plus synopsis for the visiting editor -- check
Am I sending more copies than I need to send? (probably)
And on Tuesday, I mailed the thing. (Had to FedEX it because I cut it too close to depend on the Post Office to get it there in time.
Whew! That's done.
(Oh dear, I just thought of something to add to the synopsis.... Too late.)
I'm taking vacation time off for a writing week next week. What piece of writing will I work on then?
-wendieOld
Friday, January 15, 2010
Writing Weekend -- Yea!
Hmmm. I've always wondered -- when you want to cheer, is it -- Yea! or Yeah! ?
I'm taking a few days off to write. (and am cheating because libraries are closed on the federal Martin Luther King,Jr.'s birthday on Monday. A free day off with the kid at day care. Goodie!)
I find it's always good to make a list or to set goals.
My goals:
-- to work on the dog story so I can send it to Vermont College in time for the Novel workshop deadline. I'm currently reading other dog stories to see how other writers have handled some of the problems I'm running into.
-- to work more on the Pie story.
-- to get some things in the mail to agents and editors.
-- and to mail more late Christmas presents to my relatives. (done. Mailed. yea!)
-- oh, and to pay bills. (That's done, so I can cross it off already.)
-- to check out the sale at Talbots.
-- and buy ice cream from the good ice cream place. (there goes my January diet)
Yes, I'm bopping in and checking off things as I get them done.
Please suggest more dog stories for me to read. I need books for elementary students about real dogs, not talking dogs, and told from the dog's point of view. Do any exist? If not, why not? -wendieO
I'm taking a few days off to write. (and am cheating because libraries are closed on the federal Martin Luther King,Jr.'s birthday on Monday. A free day off with the kid at day care. Goodie!)
I find it's always good to make a list or to set goals.
My goals:
-- to work on the dog story so I can send it to Vermont College in time for the Novel workshop deadline. I'm currently reading other dog stories to see how other writers have handled some of the problems I'm running into.
-- to work more on the Pie story.
-- to get some things in the mail to agents and editors.
-- and to mail more late Christmas presents to my relatives. (done. Mailed. yea!)
-- oh, and to pay bills. (That's done, so I can cross it off already.)
-- to check out the sale at Talbots.
-- and buy ice cream from the good ice cream place. (there goes my January diet)
Yes, I'm bopping in and checking off things as I get them done.
Please suggest more dog stories for me to read. I need books for elementary students about real dogs, not talking dogs, and told from the dog's point of view. Do any exist? If not, why not? -wendieO
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Writing news
What have I done lately?
Well, the Christmas holidays put quite a dent in my good intentions.
and then I had two grandkids visiting.
But now I'm getting excited about writing, again.
Today, besides taking the 10-year-old to her new gymnastics class of older girls, I:
1) Worked on that pie story that my Vermont College advisor challenged me to write. (and my VC roommate was kind enough to critique) It's getting into shape and so far I'm pleased with the results.
2) Bought train tickets for a March workshop at Vermont College. Yes, this nonfiction writer and writer of picture books is actually attempting a novel. And I'm going to a novel writing workshop there. (It's a short, lower elementary novel, but still.)
--Vermont is a two hour flight from here, but my usual direct flight plane isn't flying there anymore. I'd have to take several planes -- and then ride a one hour shuttle to the college. So I"m not flying this time.
--And it's a 9 hour car drive. I'm good for a three or four hour drive, but nine hours? Not hardly.
--Which leaves an 11 hour train ride.
But I won't be bored. I'm traveling with a writer friend (who HAS had a novel published) and my handy, dandy computer. It will give us lots of time for good conversation and writing.
Can you tell I'm getting excited about writing again? -wendieO
Well, the Christmas holidays put quite a dent in my good intentions.
and then I had two grandkids visiting.
But now I'm getting excited about writing, again.
Today, besides taking the 10-year-old to her new gymnastics class of older girls, I:
1) Worked on that pie story that my Vermont College advisor challenged me to write. (and my VC roommate was kind enough to critique) It's getting into shape and so far I'm pleased with the results.
2) Bought train tickets for a March workshop at Vermont College. Yes, this nonfiction writer and writer of picture books is actually attempting a novel. And I'm going to a novel writing workshop there. (It's a short, lower elementary novel, but still.)
--Vermont is a two hour flight from here, but my usual direct flight plane isn't flying there anymore. I'd have to take several planes -- and then ride a one hour shuttle to the college. So I"m not flying this time.
--And it's a 9 hour car drive. I'm good for a three or four hour drive, but nine hours? Not hardly.
--Which leaves an 11 hour train ride.
But I won't be bored. I'm traveling with a writer friend (who HAS had a novel published) and my handy, dandy computer. It will give us lots of time for good conversation and writing.
Can you tell I'm getting excited about writing again? -wendieO
Sunday, August 16, 2009
First draft done -- time to celebrate!
I'm so excited!
I just finished getting the first draft of the Summertime Lance story onto my computer. It took me over a year to figure out how to put tension into it, but I think I've got it, now. Plus it lays down the beginnings of the relationship of the dog to his 'people' and will reflect something that happens in the Wintertime Lance story in the snow.
Wa-hoo!
Time to go downstairs and eat a tomato sandwich and celebrate! Maybe it's even time for something more drastic -- like Ice Cream? With dark chocolate and marshmallow and....
-wendieOld
I just finished getting the first draft of the Summertime Lance story onto my computer. It took me over a year to figure out how to put tension into it, but I think I've got it, now. Plus it lays down the beginnings of the relationship of the dog to his 'people' and will reflect something that happens in the Wintertime Lance story in the snow.
Wa-hoo!
Time to go downstairs and eat a tomato sandwich and celebrate! Maybe it's even time for something more drastic -- like Ice Cream? With dark chocolate and marshmallow and....
-wendieOld
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