Good Enough

Lately I've had the writing blues. Wicked Illusions has not done well in the querying process and I hit a big bump with my work in progress (until today I haven't seriously worked on it in a month and a half). With all the rejections I've gotten for Wicked Illusions I started to wonder if I was ever going to be good enough to get an agent, let alone get published. It's hard when you see friends and other writers getting requests when you're not, then getting an agent, then getting a book deal, and so on.

And then it's even harder when you see a terrible book like Fifty Shades Of Grey make millions upon millions of dollars, and then your own book-- which you KNOW is better (sorry E.L James)-- is never "good enough."

I've not seriously considered giving up yet, but I was getting close. I really wanted to abandon my WIP because it didn't feel "good enough." I was going to start on something else, but I'm pretty sure I would have abandoned it too for not being good enough.

WHAT IS GOOD ENOUGH, ANYWAY?

Who knows?

But when I get to feeling this way, I start scouring the internet for blogs, vlogs, and stories from other writers who have been in my shoes. I watched these two videos this morning and they jump-started my motivation. How will I ever know if I'll be good enough if I don't sit my butt down and just WRITE THE DANG BOOK ALREADY?

So my first book wasn't "good enough"? That doesn't mean that the next one won't be. I'll get that first book polished enough to publish one day, but I've got to branch out and push myself to do something better first. Anyway, these two videos inspired me to get going, so maybe they'll help you too if you need a little boost like I did today. (I've written 3500 words and counting today. Yay for getting over the hump!)

Thank you Shannon Messenger and Jackson Pearce!

What's In A Name?

The first thing anyone ever learns about a book is almost always the title. That one little phrase/word can be the make it or break it point for your book: it can lead a reader to decide whether or not he or she wants to read the book or to just put it back on the shelf. No pressure, right? Right.

The perfect title should convey three things to a reader: it should introduce the tone, represent the main topic of the story, and intrigue the reader—all while being short and easily pronounceable. It’s one of the hardest parts of writing a book in my opinion. I am sort of terrible at naming things. (Especially characters' last names, but that's a whole 'nother blog post)

So how do you come up with a good title for your awesome novel?

Get ready to groan, because my first example of a good title is Twilight. I know, I know. TWILIGHT? But seriously, I think the title sets the tone for the book perfectly. On the outside, the book is about a human girl who meets a few vampires. But underneath the surface, the story is really about helplessly falling in love with the wrong person—it’s about being afraid and excited at the same time. In nature, twilight falls just after sunset, which is the time of day when all the light has just disappeared from the sky; when you’re still reeling from the magic of the setting sun, but yet wary of all the things you can’t see in the dark. The book is full of angst between the two main characters, and I believe that the word, “twilight,” correctly sets the tone. With the myth that vampires can only come out at night, it also poetically represents the main topic of the story.

 A book that is dead on with presenting the plot to the reader is my favorite middle grade book, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. Just by reading the title, the reader knows that something is going to be stolen from someone, which of course, makes for an interesting plot. With the use of the word, “always,” it leads the reader to wonder what exactly is it that is going to be stolen? Time? Life? Afterlife? The possibilities are infinite, and it makes the reader want to crack open the cover to see what the synopsis is. 

 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor immediately caught my attention when I first saw it on shelves at the bookstore. The possibilities of magic, voodoo, and family issues all ran through my head, so I picked the book up—I wanted to learn more about it. A play on words with a popular phrase, using a single word that provokes strong feelings, or choosing a few words that create a compelling thought are all good choices for choosing a good book title.

Another important part of choosing a title is that it must be easily pronounceable. I’ve found that I’m less inclined to pick up a book that I can’t pronounce. If I can’t even say the title, then what is awaiting me inside?

You also want to make sure that if you choose a phrase from inside your book, that it doesn't sound forced. I tried that with Wicked Illusions, and everyone that read the sentence, "I knew it was just a wicked illusion" told me that it sounded forced-- and that's because it WAS. I'm not saying that you can't take a nicely worded phrase from your novel and use it as your title, just make sure that it flows well in the context. Don't make the reader roll their eyes at you.

All in all, the title is the first impression for the reader. If the title is no good, then the reader is most likely going to think the book is no good. It may be a hard feat to execute all the things I talked about in just a few words, but with hard work—and often suggestions and opinions from friends and critique partners— you can do it! 

(I actually got the title for my work in progress from someone's personalized license plate on the car sitting in front of me at a red light. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look for it!)

Why Won't It Sell?

Today on Twitter, several writers and I have been debating the topic of what will and won't sell in today's marketplace. Since I've been querying Wicked Illusions over the past seven months, five agents have requested the full manuscript, and two requested a partial-- which both turned into full requests. All of these requests (except for one particularly mean rejection and one agent yet to respond) have ended in a "nice" rejection:

"Your writing is beautiful and the story is great, but I don't think there's room for it in today's overcrowded market."


"Your prose is fantastic! I loved the main character, but unfortunately, I don't think the story is a topic I can sell."


"I really enjoyed this manuscript, but I'm going to have to pass."  <---- This agent didn't even give me a reason why she was "passing," but I assume if she was being honest and "enjoyed" it, then she didn't think she could sell it to a publishing house.

I COMPLETELY understand that an agent's job is not just to praise your work and hope it sells. They are kind of like literary lawyers. They negotiate a deal for something YOU did-- if you don't get paid, they don't get paid. It's all a business transaction.

I also know that when choosing an agent, you need to find someone that IS in love with your work and is confident that he or she can sell it and make all your dreams come true. (They're also like fairy godmothers.) So it's kind of like choosing a spouse. You have to find someone that will love you and the twisted inner workings of your brain forever, no matter what the market is doing at the moment. He or she needs to be so confident in your abilities that no matter the trends, they can guide you and help you and sell ALL of your books. All this is fine and dandy and is something every writer hopes to find (though some agent/author relationships end in "divorce" just like marriages).

But the problem is, what if BEFORE you find your agent-soulmate you keep writing in the "I can't sell this" genres? We already know that books about vampires, werewolves, and dystopian societies are dead, but today, I was surprised to find that books involving ghosts and dead people is the new no-no. I can't think of very many ghost YA novels that are published, so this must be the next "new trend" that's pending for future release.

On twitter, I asked if anyone had any idea as to what there IS room for in the YA market, and the answers were:

• Sci-Fi
• Contemporary
• Anything Funny
• Thrillers

Now, my WIP is Sci-Fi, so WOO HOO!!! I'm in the "in crowd"! BUT it will probably be five to six months before I'm ready to send out queries for it, and I'm terrified that by the time I send it to agents, Sci-Fi will be the next YA no-no. 

I know you can't chain yourself to trends and that you need to write what you love, but how will I ever get an agent if he or she sees the topic and immediately deletes my query because the marketplace is already full of this sort of thing? 

I know what y'all are going to say: "Don't worry, if the writing is good, there's an agent out there somewhere that will love your work and pick it up."

And maybe that's true. But it sure is an aggravating process to get to that point. I guess that's why artists are temperamental, huh? *shakes fists*

The Writer's Voice #181

I'm sure most of you have heard about mutli-blog, mulit-agented "The Writer's Voice" contest, hosted by Cupid's Literary Connection, Brenda Drake, Monica B.W., and Krista Van Dolzer. If you've been living under a rock, a pile of edits, or you know, it you're not a writer, it's basically like the t.v. show, The Voice-- ten entries move to the second round, and then get a coach to help polish their entries before the agents see them. 

Contests like these are a fantabulous way (that's right, I said FANTABULOUS) for agent-seeking writers to rise to top of the slush pile AND meet other writers-- which, in my opinion is the only way to stay sane while querying a project. Meeting other writers who are going through the same thing as you makes the process much less alcohol-involved (usually). 

I wasn't going to enter this contest because I'd decided last month that I was going to retire the manuscript I've been querying. But then I remembered how many friends I made when I entered the Agent Invasion contest (and I got two requests out of it!) so I decided this was my last chance to give this manuscript one more little push into the world (that sounded gross. It was not meant to sound gross.)


So anyway, here is my submission for my YA Fantasy, WICKED ILLUSIONS. I'm number 181.


 Hope you like it. :-)

QUERY:

Sixteen-year-old Lilly Elliott is surrounded by death. In her hometown of Ironbrook, a mysterious fog claims the life of one resident every full moon— a death lottery that no one wants to win. She and the other townspeople would move if they could, but the fog is only one part of the complicated curse that envelops their town; no one can leave. Ever. If they try, the question of their death goes from possible to certain.

As if getting a regular dose of death isn’t enough, Lilly is also having vivid dreams about a missing boy who has a connection to the curse, and she’s starting to fall for him. She’s also recently discovered that she can bring dead things back to life, which could be the saving grace for the town of Ironbrook, except for one small problem; her power comes with a price. For every life she saves, she must replace the energy that she’s given away, and she can only do that by killing someone else. When Blair, an odd classmate, reveals the truth about Lilly’s new abilities, it doesn’t take Lilly long to find out that Blair has everything to do with the things that plague the town. And things in Ironbrook? Just. Get. Weirder.
 

Blair has the same abilities as Lilly, and is addicted to the way it feels to drain a life. She’ll do whatever she can to get Lilly to use her powers as well, including killing Noah, the boy she loves. To save Noah, her family, and the other residents of her town, Lilly has to figure out a way to stop Blair, which may start a war that she doesn’t know how to win.

WICKED ILLUSIONS is a YA fantasy novel, complete at 65,000 words. 

FIRST 250 WORDS:

Someone will die tonight. I wish I know who it’ll be so I can relax. Or not. 

               

I wrap my arms around my legs, settling my chin on top of my knees so I can peer out over the yard. The full moon reflects off of every surface, and the silvery light, almost milky in the dark midnight air, causes my world to glow. Sitting on the wide square of the front porch roof, just outside my bedroom window, is something I do every month when the full moon calls the deadly black fog into Ironbrook.
       

 Cursed. That's what they say is wrong with our town.
        

The fog slithers over the pavement below me, oozing across the yard and around the houses in our neighborhood. The thick, inky mist wraps around the oak trees and flowers, choking them in shadows. No one dares to leave their house on the eve of the full moon, in fear of what the fog might do to them if it touches their skin. I'm safe on the roof though, looming above the silent poison. I shiver as a strong breath of wind blows across the night sky, causing the haze to curl and ebb through the neighborhood at a faster pace.

        

The fog dances through the air and swirls around the posts of the porches that line the edges of the street. With a gust of wind, a thin tail of the black cloud suddenly twists and rises to the edge of the roof where I’m sitting. 

Lucky Seven Meme

My crit partner, Amy Christine Parker AND Mindee Arnett, the author of upcoming novel, The Nightmare Affair, tagged me for the Lucky Seven Meme! I've seen this floating around the blogosphere and on Twitter, so I was so excited to be tagged by TWO people!

(Mindee's book sounds absolutely awesome! The seven lines she posted are from it so go read about it on her blog! I can't wait for it to come out!)

(Also, Amy's amazing novel recently sold to Random House!!!! Trust me when I say it's amazing-- I've read it. *Laughs evilly* Go read her blog too. Now. I'll wait. Just make sure you come back here.)

(I feel like I used way too many commas in that first paragraph. I probably did. Just like I overuse parentheses. Anyway.)

Rules For The Lucky Seven Meme:

• Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
• Go to line 7
• Copy down the next 7 lines--sentences or paragraphs--and post them as they're written. No cheating.
• Tag 7 authors
• Let them know

Now. I am going to be a cheater-cheater-pumpkin-eater because I just recently shelved my completed manuscript and have no intention of opening it except for agent requests. So instead, I'm going to the 7th page of my WIP instead of the 77th (since I'm only as far as page 61 at the moment). 

You guys. This project still has the I-LOVE-YOU-SO-FREAKING-MUCH-BECAUSE-I-HAVEN'T-SMELLED-YOUR-MORNING-BREATH-YET glow that most new projects do, so I am EXCITED to share it with someone. Not even my crit partners have read this manuscript yet. *bites nail* 

Here we go!

**********************************************************************************

I want to pull on my sneakers, bolt out of this building, and sprint until my ribs ache. I want to run until I can't breathe. Along with a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket, I'd packed my favorite running shoes just for this purpose. I poke my legs and arms into the clothes-- which are a bit too big for my new body, but they'll do for now.

       As much as I want to sprint right out of the hospital, I know what Thalia and I have to do first-- we've got to return my old body back to my foster parents' house. When Thalia proposed the transport to me, we discussed what to do with my old body. We can't give it to the crematorium like most transporters do because my archetype is stolen-- a stolen reject that would have been disposed of anyway, but still stolen. 

***********************************************************************************

EEEP! I can't believe I just posted that. It's so NEW and UNEDITED. Oh well. Hope you were intrigued anyway! :-)

And the 7 Lucky Ladies I'm Tagging Are:

• Krystalyn Drown
• Melissa Hurst
• Megan Whitmer
• Laura Renegar
• Michelle Krys
• Stephanie Pellegrin
• Jenny S. Morris

Go check out their blogs! 

PS. Don't forget about The Fiction Femme Fatale's launch this Friday! The first story kicks booty!

The Fiction Femme Fatale

I have HUGE news.

Amy Christine Parker, Krystalyn Drown, and I are launching a short story blog!

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Every Friday, one of us will post a thousand word story inspired by a photo that we find. But that's not even the best part. On the fourth Friday of every month, we want to post a story written by one of our readers! 

We are each in different stages of following our publishing dreams, so we thought it would be fun to have a place to go to write just for the sheer enjoyment of writing something new. And let me tell you, it is going to be AWESOME!  

Our introductory post is already up, so please go and check it out. We are so excited for this project and we can't wait to share it with you. Our first story will be written by Krystalyn, and it will go up a week from today on April 6th! 

Please come follow us so we don't feel alone and lame. You will love us. I promise.

www.fictionfemmefatale.blogspot.com

What People Think We Do

The other day, I saw this photo on twitter:

(I couldn't find the original source, but I send thanks to the maker of this!)

It's so true!!

This week, I took a vacation from work so I could stay at home and do nothing but write for SEVEN WHOLE DAYS-- IT'S BEEN BLISS, I TELL YOU!

Except, my husband doesn't seem to realize what I'm actually doing, though I've tried to explain it to him. He has called me so many times today to chat, since I'm "not doing anything." (NOT DOING ANYTHING??? *shakes fist*) Don't get me wrong, I love talking to my love, but every five minutes??? I'm trying to work. He says: "Work, huh?" (*shakes fist again*)

I have only written 1500 words of my 5000 word goal today. (And of course, I am only prolonging my goal by writing this blog post. But it's lunchtime, okay? Don't judge me.)

 Anyway, to those of you are not writers, here is a small tip: When we say we are writing, we are not lounging around eating candy and frittering away our time. Okay, maybe there *is* some candy eating, but when I'm sitting here staring into space, I am CREATING something inside my head.

As one of my literature professors asked my class last semester, "When is loafing not laziness?"
Answer: When you are writing.

Writing involves LOTS of thinking and staring into space, and though most everyone who doesn't write may not think so, it's HARD work. It's FUN work, sure, but that doesn't make it easy.