Update: Querying Hell

Just kidding. Querying isn’t really hell. It’s kind of more like purgatory, because nothing ever happens. And when something does happen, it’s probably not a good thing. I’ve accepted this.

OK, so I promised myself I’d keep up with this and I’ve failed epically. But in my defense, I’m working two jobs, planning a wedding, trying to write a book, and also trying to sometimes sleep. I am planning on doing another review once I finish this amazing series I’ve been reading, though! I could’ve done it on each individual book but I decided to just do one big one on the series as a whole once I get through the whole thing. I’m on the last book, so stay tuned!

As for my own writing, I have officially started querying!! I’ve sent out seven query letters and have gotten two rejections. But that’s OK. Rejections are just sort of part this world, right? J I’m trying to keep five queries out at all times. In the meantime, I’ve started on the sequel, and I’m going about writing this one differently than I did with the first one.

First of all, I’m a born and raised pantser. (That’s a weird sentence…) I’ve never been one for outlining my work and then writing it. Even in high school when my English teacher tried to force us to do so, I would literally write the paper first and then outline what I had written. I hate planning it all out before; I like to just kind of see what happens. However, when I wrote WHEN I WAKE, the second draft took longer than the first draft because of how much I had to change because of how things had fleshed out once I had gotten to the end, and this time, I’m trying to avoid that. So any advice from you plotters would be much appreciated. I’m going to give it a whirl, but I make no promises. I’m probably going to end up just viciously attacking my Google Doc and seeing what comes up and hating myself for it later. You know. Normal writing stuff.

I’m also following some advice I’d read about writing lately to make WHEN I WAKE even stronger. An author posted somewhere (seriously wish I remembered who and where) that you should print out your entire document and retype the whole thing into a brand new document. He/she said it was an awful experience and it seriously sucks to do it, but it’s worth it. And let me tell you: I’m two pages into this technique, and I’ve already changed SO MUCH. And these are things I wouldn’t have thought of changing if I had just been reading it through to do edits again. So basically, I’m going to hate myself for the next few weeks as I try to accomplish this, but I truly believe it’ll all be worth it in the end.

I’m going to try to keep up with this blog better than I have been. Stay tuned for the review of a young adult fantasy series that definitely needs to be made into a movie so I can be angry at everything they changed. Because that’s what I always do. You should have seen me when HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN came out in theaters. I was livid at age 12.

 

Ok so I’m at work and I’m gonna go drink the rest of my coffee so I can survive the day without falling asleep in my chair. Let me know how your own querying is going! We can all suffer together!!

Fixing Chapters

I’m working a double at the restaurant today, so I didn’t have a whole lot of hope about getting stuff done. But I did manage to add in a scene that I wasn’t planning to reveal until one of the sequels. However, I thought knowing this about Darcy would help people understand where she’s coming from.

Darcy is a supporting character in WHEN I WAKE. She’s the first person Raya meets in Pirondea, back when Raya still thinks everything is a dream from her sleeping disorder. She’s snarky, determined, and pushes Raya to the max. She’s honestly one of my favorite characters. She has a lot of history, but doesn’t talk about it much, because she’s not really a “sharing” type of person. Here’s a sneak peek at her life from what I wrote about her today:

Keep in mind: first draft of this scene. Raya’s father died as a result of the ongoing war in Pirondea back when she was a toddler, although Raya grew up believing her father died in a car accident. Now that she knows the truth, she’s working to learn more about her powers and the world her father died trying to save.

Next on my novel to-do list: fix my query letter. I hate it so much, I might just start from scratch. Maybe I’ll do that if it’s slow at work tonight 🙂

Starting Out

Since I’m horrible at beginnings (aren’t we all?) I’m just going to start out with what I did today.

Today I entered into the Adventures in YA Publishing Red Light/Green Light contest! The contest asks for your three-paragraph pitch and the first 250 words of your manuscript. I entered this for the first time back in November, and I actually made it to the final round! This time, I’m going for the gold. I’ve rewritten my first page only about a million times since November, so here’s hoping. *raises glass*

I haven’t sent out my first *actual* query yet. Both because I don’t feel like my query letter is particularly stellar yet and because I’m completely and utterly terrified. That’s why I like contests like this. I like getting my foot in the door somehow, and I always meet some really cool people in the process!

Can we talk about how awesome these contests are? These people get literally nothing out of hosting them, and yet they do it for us anyway. The publishing world is a strange and wonderful place, my friends. If you haven’t yet, start connecting with writers on Twitter.

Currently getting ready for #PitMad on March 23rd! Who is gonna be pitching with me on Twitter?