IWSG and Conference Pitch Session Recap

I had a pitch session--my first live one ever--at LDStorymakers. I've done online pitches, but that is so different. All through my flight to Utah, and every night when I couldn't sleep, I went over and over my pitch. Changing it and trying my best to boil it down to the most important aspect of my book. In the end I did something different than my query.

I pitched to Eddie Schneider, Vice President of JABberwocky Literary Agency. And yes, he really does look this young and happy. I figure it's because he loves what he's doing and is a runner. A serious runner--unlike my last few years of on again off again.

Every time I saw him walking around the conference I didn't think of pitching to him (weird I know), but instead I thought, "I really need to get back into running and not stop."

Why?

Because I'm looking old and fat again. After losing 20 pounds last year and feeling great, I've put it all back on. I don't want to look my age. I don't want to look like a tired run down mom. Running and eating right really does change that.

He didn't ask my why I decided to pitch to him, but I had already decided my answer would be two fold. One, I need a no-nonsense get to work, logical and editorial agent on my side. And two, every time I looked at him I'd be reminded that my personal health is important to my overall image. Some people might have a problem with that, but like it or not, our public image eventually can effect our sales.

Okay, so this is how it went down. I arrived 10 minutes early and that's when it finally hit me FULL Force that I was about to pitch my book to a complete stranger. For weeks I'd been telling myself it didn't matter. It was just a good experience to have and if nothing came of it, no big deal. That worked until I was standing in front of the door waiting. All the "what ifs" started rattling around in my brain. The good and the bad.

I went in feeling just a bit shaky, clutching my one sheet of paper. Just in case. I'm proud to say I never used it and somehow the words tumbled out of my mouth on their own. Even my voice sounded weird to me because of my nerves, but somehow it didn't matter. I can even quote you pretty close to what I said.

The first thing you need to know is that everything you've ever believed about human evolution is a lie. A lie told to keep us from learning the truth. Aliens live among us. They work with us, teach our children. They are being punished and have been sentenced to watch over and protect their greatest mistake--us.

Even though Caedan Frey's family has fulfilled this duty for thousands of years, it doesn't free him from his obligation as Prince in the year of the Reparation. He must marry a human in two months or the throne will revert to a rival family. A family who's short lived reigns in the past ended in catastrophe for humans. Atlantis, Pompeii and the black plague were a few of their signatures. Even though Caedan doesn't believe humans will evolve to see, much less control the magic, he knows the sooner he marries the better for everyone.

I had more planned, but this is where he cut me off. I was startled and completely thrown off, but he was writing on a card and saying the story sounded interesting. All he needed to know was the title and genre.

My head was spinning. I was kicking myself for NOT starting with title and genre, but I was still in query mode where I like to put it last. Then I was thinking, "Wait! I didn't get to Ryanne. I'm doing this all wrong." The story is equally Caedan and Ryanne's, but I start with Caedan in the book.

So I'm sitting there trying to process that he wants to read pages when I've committed the sin of giving him an entire 30 seconds of back story. It's important to the whole book so I felt it was necessary. Now I'm scared that he'll start reading and think he was misled about the plot of Fade Into Me. What if he says no just out of irritation? Surely he wouldn't, but what if he did? See the circular destructive path of my thoughts?

Back to my pitch. I asked him a few questions about his style of agenting, asked if he had questions for me and we finished early.

Yeah! and then "He must think I'm an idiot!"

It is what it is and I can't change it. The important thing is he asked for pages, right? I've already sent the submission to him.

With my confidence bolstered, I sent out 6 more queries yesterday. Here are the new totals:

• 12 sent (including pitch)
• 6 still out (no reply yet)
• 3 no thank you
• 2 partials
• 1 full

Have you ever pitched? Did you feel like throwing up before or after?

I sort of felt like being sick before AND after.

Purpose of IWSG: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. I'm currently #103.

LDStorymakers 2014 Writer's Conference

The conference was wonderful! Two full days of hanging with people that have the same mental issues I do--who could have asked for anything better? By the end of the weekend my brain was stuffed full and I just wanted time to process. I think I'm still processing. However, it's been a week and  it's time to start writing again too.

Here is a brief photo recounting of the trip. I really should have taken more pictures, but I chose to just enjoy everything instead of worrying about photo documenting. Now I'm wishing I'd thought that through a bit better.

 On the flight to Utah from Arkansas, via LA. I worked on my pitch, started a short story for next week's genre wars blogfest on UB, outlined a bit on my next YA story, and enjoyed the view.  

 This was the "upgrade" from the economy car I rented. My 11 year old was jealous that I got to drive this around for several days. I told him it was just to and from point A to point B, but he didn't care. I quite enjoyed it by the end, but it didn't have great pick up and go--and parking it was quite different from my van.

 The Friday night keynote speaker was Orson Scott Card. There was a lot of talk on how his speech wasn't what most of the attendees expected. It was pretty close to what I knew about him and maybe that's why I was able to enjoy it. Sometime soon I'll give a recap of the highlights for you. 

 And yes, I really was as tired as I look in this picture. LOL

This was the book signing event at the end of the day on Saturday. Next year I'm going to participate. Maybe. Eh, I've got a year to think about it, right? I enjoyed getting the books I bought signed this year as well as the general excitement of the room.

I ran into lots of my online friends, and for some reason or other I just didn't think of taking pictures. Sorry! Michael here was a new friend that Tamara and I met at dinner Friday night. He managed to roll with our off the wall joking and even gave in to eat Tamara's rice when his meal still hadn't shown up by the time we were almost done eating. Bless his sweet wife for letting him come to the conference while they were in the middle of the second move in 8 months--and she had a new baby less than 8 months old!

The last thing I did Saturday was go to dinner with my buddy Tamara Hart Heiner. She lives in Arkansas and I see her weekly, but it's always nice to hang out with her. We checked out a local restaurant with live music and a salsa bar. It was SOOO good!

By the end of the conference I was more than ready to come home. And in spite of the random moments when I wanted to toss all my manuscripts and start over, I feel like I'm ready to dig in again and become that writer I want to be.

Come back Wednesday for the pitch recap. 

Have you ever been to a writer's conference? What was your favorite part?

Someone asked me that and I honestly can't say. I loved all of it! The people, the classes, being me and not mom, everything.

Incorporating Romance into Any Genre

Romance is hard for me. It's never my intention or point of the story, and yet I'm a girl. That means I like relationships to be part of my characters lives. However, I've been told that sometimes I "skip" steps in logical romantic progression.

That's why I headed straight into Traci Abramson's class on "How to Weave Romantic Elements Through Any Genre" while at LDStorymakers Midwest Conference.

The first thing I learned is that there aren't really set "steps". At least that's the impression I got when my question was answered with a laugh. (However, I will try and create some from my notes at the end.) What I really took away from this class, was that romantic elements are going to be different for each situation. And since I'm a totally open person who will tell you my entire life story on the day I meet you, my logical progression may seem like I skipped steps. Although I'm okay with this, I'm still going to try and improve my romance writing skills.

Anyway, let's get into my notes...

Romance is a genre all on it's own, but it can also be used and blended with any other genre to "deepen and enhance your characters, add to their motivations, and tug on the heartstrings of your readers...[it can be used] as an undercurrent in your writing, come discover the possibilities that can come through the heart." ~Abramson

Blending genres is a great way to strengthen your work and deepen your characters while helping you reach new readers. BUT you have to follow all the rules for each genre you are blending. When blending romance with other genres, it doesn't have to include internal conflict. It could simply be an external conflict that could or does pull them apart.

Here are the "sound bites"

Romance as a tool--create strong characters, add tension through the attractions, add conflict and obstacles, let them overcome those obstacles, and if your only genre you need a happily ever after.

Characterization--you've got to dig deeper than you might in other genres. You need to know there hopes and fears, past and future.

Conflict--Some outside force or perceived challenge that must be overcome before they can be together. This can be as simple as a misunderstanding (see below). When combined with other genres this part can be small and worked through early in the novel.

Romance utilizes more internal conflict. Plot driven fiction uses more external conflict.

Pacing (Finding Balance)--Stepping back to reflect on the relationship can give your reader a moment to catch their breath. We have to be aware of pacing no matter what we are writing, but we can use romance to help us slow down some of our other genres.

Misunderstandings--use wisely. Lay a solid foundation for why it happens. Emotional entanglements must be in place for an emotional response. For example, the 1st dance that Mr. Darcy attends in Pride and Prejudice. We see Mr. Darcy snub Elizabeth and every other woman within her earshot. This sets up the deeper emotional response when he professes his love for her later.

The use of misunderstandings in YA drives me absolutely crazy! They use it over and over and sometimes there is no reason for it other than willfully choosing not to understand. Please don't overdo this!

Tolerance--this is for blending genres. You have to remember that not everyone likes romance. Traci suggested the 12 year old boy test. If he can handle it then anyone can. Just remember who your primary audience it. That's who you tailor the level of romance to.

Timing your happily ever after--this can come early in the novel if genre blending, but you need to have a conflict that threatens it at some point.

The wrap-up--The climax of each genre must be reached by the end of the story. The one at the end points to your main genre.

Okay, here is what I gathered to be the necessary steps or elements for a good romance thread.

• The meeting or first encounter--with genre blending you can go beyond the simple 'boy meets girl'
• Attraction/Situational bonding--they have to have time alone to learn to appreciate some aspect of each other.
• Conflict that keeps them from being together
• The first kiss (this could come before the conflict)
• The Aha! moment where they realize they love/need each other and are willing to work through anything
• The happily ever after

Did I leave anything out?

Traci Hunter Abramson was born in Arizona, where she lived until moving to Venezuela for a study-abroad program. After graduating from Brigham Young University, she worked for the Central Intelligence Agency for several years, eventually resigning in order to raise her family. And though Traci found her passion in caring for her family, she couldn’t manage to forget the action of the CIA, so she turned to writing about it. She has gone on to write a number of bestselling suspense novels that have consistently been nominated as Whitney Award finalists. In 2013, she won her first Whitney award in the mystery/suspense category for Code Word. She enjoys reading, writing, and coaching high school swimming.

I've read and reviewed one of her books HERE.

Plotting...Just in time for Nanowrimo

I started drafting the post about romance, but then it hit me--we are only 2 weeks away from the start of Nanowrimo! That's National Novel Writing Month for anyone new to the writing scene. 50,000 words in 30 days!

Last year I didn't get to play and I've been a bit "off" the entire year. Here's to getting back on the writing train. You see, my biggest problem with writing this year has been NOT allowing myself to write the crappy first drat. I wanted everything to be perfect that first time. It's like I forgot that NEVER happens. For anyone. Nano gives me that reason/excuse to get it done.

Here is a great quote that I'm going to post on my wall in front of my computer:

"I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles." ~Shannon Hale

Become one with the sand!

Now, over the last two years, I've been adopting little plotting tips. It is helping my writing be more focused. I still consider myself a pantser, or the new term I've heard is Discovery Writer. Doesn't that sound great! And it doesn't come up as a misspelled word. :)

Janette Rallison taught a great class on plotting at the LDStorymakers Midwest Conference in September. Here are my notes from that class.

The first thing Janette said was rules exist for a reason. She followed that up with this quote:

"There are no rules to assure good writing, but there are rules to avoid bad writing."~Noah Lukeman

Writing requires you to have at least a slight idea what you want to write about. Even for Discovery Writers. Are you starting with a character (a scientist mage), a story idea (what if humans were created by aliens), or a theme (sometimes what you want most in life is not good for you).

The answer to this question will affect how you plot.

Character do's and don'ts
They must be likable but flawed. Leave room for growth.

Problem
Your characters MUST have a problem at the beginning of the story. It may not be the big problem, and it can be solved and replaced with a new one, but there must be some kind of problem. And, they must have a goal to solve that problem.

Goal do's and don'ts

• Sometimes you don't know the story goal at the beginning (Wizard of Oz, Star Wars)
• The goal doesn't always have to be achieved (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
• Goals can change (Les Miserables) 
• The more specific the goal, the better--something you can see happen. 
• The goal should be something worthy to evoke reader sympathy
• The best goals are important and urgent--they can't be postponed for any amount of time. If it can wait for next year, it's not important.
• All the main characters should have goals (internal and external). The conflict between these different goals is what makes a great story

Antagonist
Every villain is the hero of his own story. The stronger the villain, the harder your hero has to work. It's good to remember that the antagonist is not always a villain. They just oppose the MC.

1. man against man (The Prestige)
2. man against nature (castaway)
3. man against himself (recovering alcoholic)

Consequence of failure
There must be a reason why the character doesn't just give up and go home.

Finally, we did an exercise to help us get the core plot of our novel down into 3 sentences . It was based on Dwight Swain's Equation (Techniques of the Selling Writer). You simply fill out this chart and then put it in sentence form.

Problem:
Character:
Goal:
Antagonist/Obstacles:
Consequence of Failure:

This is what my poor attempt looked like:

Problem: The rapist is stalking her after escalating to murdering his victims
Character: Katrina in marketing, 8 months pregnant after being raped by the holiday serial rapist
Goal: Help the police catch the holiday serial
Antagonist/Obstacles: The holiday serial thinks fate has sent Katrina and their unborn child to replace the family he never had.  
Consequence of Failure: more people will die, her child will be raised by the rapist and she will most likely die.

Then you put it into sentence form:

When a serial rapists starts killing his victims to leave messages for Katrina, the only victim to get pregnant, she agrees to help the police catch him in spite of her swelling belly. Can the police keep her and her unborn baby safe while using her as bait now that the rapist wants a family of his own?

And what does that look like? A pitch! I've not even written the book and I have a decent pitch ready to go. SO exciting!

The whole purpose of this is to help you stay focused while you write. For discovery writers this is invaluable. We can now avoid those wonderful side lines that we have to cut later because they didn't take us to the resolution of our goal.

I got so excited that I spent an hour doing this...

Each of the 5 categories got a color and an index card. I put the character first since I already had the story idea and characters. This is for two books, the two main characters. And I got detailed. Now when I'm writing and get stuck, all I have to do is glance up and there is the goal.

I know a lot of you already do this, but I've never had the space until now. It's so exciting! I feel like a real writer now. :)

So what do you do to keep everything straight while writing?

Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona with her husband, five children and enough cats to classify her as “an eccentric cat lady.” She did not do this on purpose. (The cats, that is; she had the children on purpose.) Every single one of the felines showed up on its own and refuses to leave. Not even the family’s fearless little Westie dog can drive them off.

She is also published as CJ Hill.




We picked up a copy of her book Erasing Time. I'll review it when I get to it. :)

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that's so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can't go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The same government has implanted tracking devices in the citizens, limiting and examining everything they do. Taylor and Sheridan have to find a way out of the city before the government discovers their secrets. To complicate matters, the moblike Dakine has interest in getting hold of them too. The only way for the girls to elude their pursuers is to put their trust in Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.

Tips for Writing in First Person

The first class I attended at the Storymakers conference was on 1st Person POV by Regina Sirois. I highlighted her as the keynote speaker in my IWSG post last week, but a quick reminder is in order. Regina was the 2012 ABNA winner for her book On Little Wings. The following post will be a mixture of her class tips and my thoughts.

My current wip is a YA fantasy written in 1st person POV of two characters. Although I've been happy with it for the most part, there are spots that it is just FLAT. Some of those spots require higher stakes and better tension. I'll talk about that with the suspense post coming up next week. However, some of it is simply because I struggle with 1st person. Regina did an excellent job explaining the real purpose of 1st person so that I can fix it.

Strengths

1st person is meant to be intimate, confessional. The reader can put themselves inside the character's shoes and discover the story along with the MC. It's often easier to connect emotionally with a character is you are in their head.

Limitations

1st person is restrictive. There are things that the reader will not know because the character can't know them. (I find this frustrating when I write.) You also can't hide things from the reader, and you always have to ask, "Is this narrator reliable?"

Which brings us to the question, "Who is your narrator, really?"
Even when writing in 1st person you can have problems figuring out who the narrator really is. If you are writing in 1st person present tense (everything is happening to your character right now, you see it the first time they see it kind of thing), then your narrator is your character.

But what if your character is telling the story about what happened to them last week, or twenty years ago? If the events happened that far in the past, the character has grown, had new experiences that affect how they view those previous events. They are a different person than when it happened. You must consider who the real narrator is because that will affect the language and internal reflections.

Common Mistakes When Writing 1st Person

• Telling what the character already knows--"That was so mean. I'm upset."
• Asking too many questions to show confusion, often in a list of unanswered questions--Why did that happen? What am I going to do now?
• Too many sentences that start with I--When you are thinking in your head do you start every sentence with I?
• Not trusting your readers (this is an entire post by itself!)--you can still make jumps in time
• Forgetting to have varied sentence length and incorporating incomplete sentences. If the moment is incomplete (meaning the character was interrupted) then the sentence will be too. 
• Minutia--listing or telling everything. Trust your reader. They know how to put their pants on. 

Sound Bites from the Class 

• If you are standing beside your character asking what happens next, you ARE NOT writing 1st person. The only way 1st person works is if you are inside their head looking out.
• Senses that matter in 1st person--sounds, smells, things that can be felt (touch) and seen. 
• Let things swerve your characters from their one track mind.

Writing Activity

Pick one of your characters. Put them somewhere in your story. Close your eyes and sit down inside their head. Take a minute to look out from their eyes. What do they see, hear, smell? What can they feel through touch? Now write that down as if you were them.

Take a moment to do this and share with us in the comments.

This is what I wrote for one of my characters:

"Rough carpet scraped my cheek as I slid across the van floor. The door slammed shut sending me into complete darkness. A thick smell of dirt and oil permeated the air. The van creaked and shook with my captor's movements. Another door clicked shut. 

Slivers of light leaked around the blacked out window from the door. I reached for the handle as the engine turned over, grinding in protest for a moment before roaring to life. The floor vibrated beneath me, increasing the frantic rhythm of my heart. My fingers only brushed cold metal. There was no handle in the door." 

October IWSG 2013 Getting a Better Perspective

I'm afraid I double booked today. If you are looking for Cami Checketts' Blog This post, you can find it HERE.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. I'm currently #165.

WARNING: This might be a long post. :)

And because of that, I'll post my October post schedule first.

Topics to rehash from LDStorymakers Convention:

1. Pros and cons of writing in 1st person
2. How to weave romantic elements through any genre
3. Suspense!
4. Working with series, sequels and spin-offs
5. Research for your novel, and just in time for NANOWRIMO...
6. Plotting!

Personal topics:

1. My first school visit
2. Blogfest Time
3. Some excerpts from Fade Into Me and Search For Knowledge (yep, it's back on!)

Book Reviews:

1. Deep Cover by Traci Hunter Abramson
2. Bloodborne by Gregg Luke

Now to recap one of the BEST keynote speaker addresses I've ever heard. Seriously, I wish I had it on video so you could just watch it. What I like best is that you can apply this thought process to every aspect of your life. 

It all started with one question. 

Am I good?

And ended with a different question.

Does it matter?

Regina Sirois (2012 Winner of ABNA for YA for her book On Little Wings), told us about 3 men who climbed Mount Everest. I won't go into all of that, but the point was this--we all have our summits (goals) and that's great. However, we cheat, and that's where we get into trouble.

For instance, my Mt. Everest summit was to see my name on a book in the library. That was the one thing I wanted, and I thought it would make me happy. This goal translated to "get a book published" then you will be happy.

I did that. But I wasn't happy. I reached my summit and saw another peak in the distance and thought, "What did I know? That peak over there is what I really wanted. This one isn't enough. I want to have 1000 positive reviews, make tons of money and write 20 more books that everyone will be waiting anxiously for."

And then I'll be happy.

Unless I can get a movie deal. THAT would really make me happy.

Are you starting to see the problem? We fall into traps that take away our air--I have to sell these books, I have to make people proud, etc.

When people climb Everest they are told that if they summit they should take a moment to savor the view. Take a picture and then get the heck down! You can't set up camp at the summit because you will DIE!

Our writing summits are the same. If you reach your goal, enjoy it, then come back down. Remember who you are and find your inner peace again. Don't give the goal/summit the power to make you happy or sad. Instead, learn to enjoy writing for the sake of writing. Regardless of who will read it and what they'll think.

Do you stop loving your stories if they don't become NY bestsellers?

Well, look at it this way. If our books are our children...
"I had kids. They aren't rich and famous. No one has ever heard of them. What a waste of time!"

You'd never say that about your flesh and blood children, so don't allow doubt to make you say it about your words. At one time you loved them enough to put them on screen/paper/napkin and it didn't matter what anyone else thought of them.

So ask yourself...

Am I good?

Does it matter?

From Goodreads:

This is a story of the countless ways we get love wrong. And why, despite every disappointment, we keep fighting to get it right.

Jennifer must do the impossible – bring her mother home. When a family is torn apart by death, two sisters take violently divergent paths and the story of their family appears to end terribly and abruptly. Two decades later Jennifer never dreams that the photo she finds stuck between the pages of a neglected book will tear open a gaping wound to her mother’s secret past. Abandoning her comfortable life with her parents and best friend in the wheat fields of Nebraska, Jennifer’s quest for a hidden aunt leads her to the untamed coast of Maine where she struggles to understand why her mother lied to her for sixteen years.

Across the grey, rocky cove she meets Nathan Moore, the young, reluctant genius surrounded by women who need him to be brother, father, friend, provider, protector and now, first love. The stories, varied, hilarious, and heartbreaking, unfold to paint a striking mural of the shattered past. As Jennifer seeks to piece together her mother’s story, she inadvertently writes one for herself.