Writing Life

March 2012

How is it I let a year go by?

The Golden Heart final changeda lotof the plan for the year, but The Laird (aka, Super Agent Lauren) changed our flow and kept the business end of things going in the right direction. Thank goodness for her, because she thought of things I wouldn’t have even known to considered during that time.

Also, I’ve drafted two more books and am working through making the first on awesome enough to show The Laird.

Neither of them are part of the Secret Series, but both have the same voice and angst. They’re Bria Books

I’m looking forward to 2012. While I loved being a Golden Heart Finalist (I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s the biggest unpublished honor out there for what I do!) it’s great to have 100% of the focus back on writing.

There’s still a lot of adventure to come!

March 2011

I’m not sure what’s ever going to feel better than this! I finalled in the RWA Golden Heart!

For those of you who don’t know what the GH is, it’s RWA’s biggest contes for the unpublished writer. I can’t think of another contest I could want to win pre-pub. This whole weekend has been filled with excitement. Now comes the prep. The contest results are announced this June at the big conference in NYC. It’s time to start figuring out my way there, get author photos (arg!) and even that just-in-case-I-win dress!

December 2010

Luckily, I signed with the amazing Lauren Macleod of Strothman Agency. I’m so excited. Lauren’s focus is YA and she already has some amazing writers like my Cheese Pact buddy Jodi Meadows working with her. Here’s to the beginning of great things!

November 2010

So, I separated from my agent (who is lovely and smart, but just a bad match for me. Please don’t everyone email me asking for “dirt” — you won’t get any) and my term clause ends at the end of this month. So, as that time nears, I’ve finished researching the YA agenty world and putting together the short list. I’m excited to say, I’m working on sending queries out now. I think the 2 Secret Books that are done are in a really good place – the 3rd one is on the back burner, but I’m really excited to write it.

For NaNo fun, I’m trying my hand at Paranormal – That’s all I’m going to say about that – Oh, and it’s a complete mess! I’ve never written anything this mess. Should be a good learning experience.

The fantasy got pulled out for a contest. It’s amazing how different it looks 1.5 years later. I can tell I’ve learned a ton… I’m sure there’s more to learn!

So, that’s the fall – here’s to a great winter!

July 2010

Things are going well – I’ve got the first 2 books of the Secret Series done – Book 1 is in revision mode with Agent. Book 2 is going thru pre-agent revision mode stuff. Hopefully out on submission soon!

October 2009

Guess who has an agent!

 That would be me.

I know what you’re thinking: But, Bria, you just started querying last month. How can you have an agent?

I have no idea whatsoever. Things moved so fast it kind of threw me off kilter. But I had amazing women at amazing agencies offer to rep Secret Girlfriend and am so so so excited to have signed with Agent 1. Let the revisions begin!

September 2009

This past week I started the query process for my newest manuscript, Secret Girlfriend. I’m amazed at how quickly things came back. Within the first week I’ve already received 6 requests for partials. The amazing thing is I’m working thru my top choices at 1 or 2 a day, so I haven’t even finished that very short list. Hopefully this is a good sign!

I’m  also about to start the edit for Secret Life. This book is hard. Hard to write. Hard to edit. And, hopefully, hard to read. The subject matter is something I have personal experience with and I’m excited to share something in a manuscript which hasn’t been done yet (note: just regoogled it. still no fiction based on this issue) – It’s something that I feel needs to get out there and I’m hoping Secret Life is the book to break through that wall.

Updating Is Your Friend – August 2009

I’m still working the fantasy angle, but currently am putting most of my focus on the first three books of my Secret Series. The first book is nearly complete and the second is drafted. Each book handles girls dealing with tough life issues while find first love…And, I have it on good authority they’re funnier than paint.

I’m also currently couchsurfing and camping my way around the country. Lots of writing ideas are filling the notebook on this trip I can tell you!

 

The Year Is Coming To An End

I’m feeling pretty good about 2008. I accomplished a ton. Markbearer is at the point where until an editor or agent says something different, it’s done-done. I’m happy with it and happy with the responses from my readers, those I’ve meet and those I haven’t – they’ve been great.

I continue to write “other stuff” to relax and let my mind escape from the complex world I’ve created for the fantasy. At the urging of some writer buddies, I’ve brought out my “funny voice” (I’m glad they think it’s funny) and am working on both my sweet adult comedy thingy and my YA comedy thingy….that’s the one you’re seeing playing the first line contest.

I feel great about the contacts and friends I’ve made this year – they’ve for the 99.99% part been wonderful fulfilling relationships.

And so, we come to the check in point. If you followed me over from Purple Hearts, you know I made a deal with myself that I would give everything I have to writing for 3 years and then take a gander at the whole how-goes-it part. The end of this year brings us to just over 1.5 years and (as you can probably guess from above) I’m feeling very confident. Am I expecting to have something on the shelf by the end of that time? Well, no. But I’m expecting my career to be moving to the next level by then. We’ll just have to wait and see what that next level is.

I Caved

I let myself be talked in to NaNoing. It’s going….not bad. I’m treating it more like Fast Drafting since FD didn’t go super great in October (there’s a first for everything. I take full responsibility )

I’ve currently put the Marked series aside and am working on a YA Rom Com (think Simon Pulse or Delacotte) and it seems to be going well. I’m used to my long, intricate plots and am writing a long intricate plot that will need simplifying to make word count. How many love triangles can I fit in 65K?

September, My Internal New Year

We all have a time or season that feels like an internal reset, our own personal New Years Celebration. Mine has always been fall: School Supplies, Soccer and that Indian Summer breeze. 

Now I have all my submissions/resubmits/queries that start going out this weekend. I’m amazingly excited about the rewrite of my book and what it’s become. I’ve surprised myself! Wish me luck

August and All It Involves:

If you’re playing along at home, you’ve seen that I went to RWA Nationals and have returned with 3 agent requests and 1 editor request. The next three weeks are going to be all about finishing that major re-write around the new, extended ending and polish polish polish polish.

Update, 7/24:

Well, it’s conference seasons and I’m going to RWA National Conference to learn, network and pitch my book. I’ve been doing A LOT of work on it again. Someone said, JUST WRITE THE ENDING YOU WANT. The stuff that got moved to book 2 and that I’d been trying to build an entire book around is getting moved back. Which means a lot more cutting (and of course editing the stuff that hadn’t been touched yet)

But it has me feeling extremely excited again – which is always good

Writing Update:

Things are going squishy on me — I’m trying to get into book two, but with the computer dying and then breaking and then shipping and then waiting and then shipping back, I feel like (ok, I’m not) getting any where fast.  BUT, I have about 200ish rough pages.  I write looooooooong and tighten and edit, so that means I’m about a 1/3 of the way done with book 2 (writing it that is)

I am kind of excited about it because at the end of book one, my CP said “I have no idea how you’re going to make book two have a dark moment between them.” *insert sound of my evil laughter here* Don’t worry little one, I’ve ripped them apart but good!

Querying away as well. I have several partials out there still and am excited about several of them. Here’s hoping!

Writing Update:

You can only work on a book so long before you have to send it out into the world. A goal was set and now the rewrites/edits/polishing segment of this writing life is in full swing. The goal is to finish-finish (not just finish), research homes for the ms and send out some queries.

My CP Ann ias gotten on board with the 10 Queries by 4/19 mission. 

Golden Heart – Nov 30, 2007

Got my Golden Heart entry sent off just in time. Things kept dying and people kept disappearing. It took 5 computers, 3 printers, 2 memory sticks, 1 copier, 1 computer whiz kid and 6 people totally in a 7 hour period to get that thing in the mail – geesh.

It also underwent some major surgery. 3 Chapter re-written from scratch. The first one that got tossed and redone, Jessica was kind enough to say something along the lines of “It’s totally different, I don’t know what you did. But it’s tighter.” YEAH. I hacked off 26 pages to make it to my strongest hook. Edit – polish – chop – edit -polish chop – edit – polish – chop.

I felt like the Rather, Rinse, Repeat on the back of a shampoo bottle – except no one ever repeats. Pleases, do they think we’re stupid enough to use twice as much of their product just because they told us to?

I’ll admit I’m excited, but probably not for the reasons you think. I’m not expecting to final, but I learned a TON doing this. I can hit a deadline. I can tighten down to a necessary page number. I can learn to chop things I love that are unnecessary. I can edit. I can sift critiques and hold on to my voice. That’s a ton of learning. I can’t wait to keep going.

I just want to add, to my update a CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE GOLDEN HEART ENTRANTS (especially Jessica Heartlette) – YOU’RE ENTRY IS YOUR SUCCESS.

Rejected – Oct 5, 2007

It really is amazing how much this felt like a slap. My first rejection. The truth is, it would have been easier (maybe) if it was a random agent I hadn’t heard so many great things about in an agency I really wanted to work with.

The other thing I learned:  the thing I loved about briefly querying – is that her rejection was all of two lines long. I was hoping for a little feed back, beyond the great this, great that – I just didn’t love it.

So, the search begins in earnest now.

Partial & Synopsis sent  - Sept 18, 2007

Now I know the pain they’re talking about. Stayed up allll night with MamaDivine and Lovely Girl Lanie (yes, your name just grew). After 18 attempts at making a book fit on 2 pages, these two saved my butt. And then, to top off the amazingness of Divahood – Diva Kristen CP’s that puppy first thing in the morning.

I think Synopsising (work that new word) must be like child birth. It’s painful and you swear you don’t need another book if it means going through that – but the pain fades and the joy returns – of course, I’m talking from vicarious experience here.

The Agency notes a 8 to 12 week turn around on MS’s so, it’s waiting again.

The waiting, the waiting, the waiting. . .OH LORD! The Panic – A partial request – Sept 17, 2007 

This was completely unexpected – first manuscript / first query – but I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot from the experience.

I DID IT!!!! I SENT MY FIRST QUERY TODAY – Sept 12, 2007.

I think I’m going to be sick. 

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

There are days when that more often than not describes me – especially with what I’m working on right now.  I’m living in the world of a YA Fantasy – and I like it there! My characters struggle with everything that challenges us here, but have their own set of problems created by the world they live in as well.

Worldbuilding is my newest toy. Every time I think it’s complete, something new comes into scope. A friend said to just let the world be more of a reflection of our own world. After a lengthy discussion explaining how different their world is, so it couldn’t just be HERE & NOW with different people and place names, I received a blank stare. And promptly gave up trying to explain.

Right now I’m working on a Tri-Lunar calendar (I’ll admit, it’s killing me and if you’re an astronomer or astrologer, and wouldn’t mind humoring me, drop me a line, please!)

Today’s research (pretend I update this every morning) is to design the city 1/3 of the story takes place in – there’s too much movement within the walls to not have a clear, consistent picture of where things are happening – how fun is that?

I’m finding my new world is, sometimes frighteningly, clear in my mind. I dream about it in such vivid displays of shapes and colors that, when I awake, it is for those first moments of the day more real than the room my bed sits in. There is so much beauty available in your own mind. Letting it challenge the pain that resides there as well to create a world you want to write about.