Good enough for me!

Good news today came in the form of my very first partial request! It's not earth-shattering or anything but it's encouraging and something I really needed right now! The chances of this agent requesting the full manuscript and then subsequently offering me representation aren't huge and that's ok with me. I just feel very validated somehow by the request itself. Lately, every time I sit down to write I feel guilty about it because I just can't be sure whether I'm any good at it or whether it's going anywhere. If it were my job then I'd be working, but right now it's a hobby and I have a very full life as a wife and mom. So this told me that yes, it's at least worth someone asking for more and that's enough for me!

Querying again...

Well, I've toyed with the idea of changing Hourglass in some ways that would involve a little bit of a rewrite but I've decided to leave it as it is and just bust out the queries. I originally set a goal to do a certain number and quit at 19. That's kinda lame of me and I really have no right to get depressed over 19! 219 maybe but not 19 so I am going forward with those despite word count issues and all my other worries. I've been working steadily on Flash and am now at 30K so just under halfway done! Woohoo! It's a great story and is coming along nicely. Every time I open Hourglass again I think, "Wow this is good..it really is." So I just need to follow through on it, I think. I've had other people read it and they have also enjoyed it so it's onward and upward on those queries! Writers group read the first few chapters of Flash and they seemed to all enjoy it except for some minor flaws I've already fixed. More than one of my friends said I needed to pursue it so that's fun!

In other news I've actually started reading again! I'm so excited! I finished The Dark Divine by Bree Despain and am now reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. So far, so good. I think it is important to read as an author so you can keep up to date and also it does help me creatively so I've decided to MAKE the time for it!

Well, I'm taking my writing time blogging so that's all for now! Query stats right now are 26 queries sent 12 rejections and probably 8 no response

If you're a writer watch this!

2010

It's 2010! How in the world did we get here? 2009 was a great year because I once again discovered and embraced my love of writing. I had done it all through grade school, middle school and High school but once I started having kids it was kind of buried under motherhood again. In fact, when I started writing Hourglass and actually contemplated trying to get it published my husband wondered if I'd be able to "do it again." I have to admit when the question was posed I worried. Maybe not. My head, which had caused me to get in trouble all my young life for the fabulous stories I made up, hadn't provided me with much fantastical fodder in years and years. So, at that point I did worry. But here I am 1/3 of the way done with another novel and I have at least three others outlined mentally and ready for me to work on. I've started all of them plus Book 2 of the Hourglass series(which is mostly outlined already too) So, yes. Yes I can do it. YES! My head is still a crazy place. (Should I be cheering about that??) Hmm. Anyway. I will be 35 in 2010 and I am seriously hoping to push my career forward this year. It's a goal, a dream and I think, a possibility waiting to be untapped! Happy New Year to all! May 2010 bring wonderful things for you as I hope it does for me!

Random thoughts about this journey...

Christmas musings....Above is a picture of myself and my friend, Erin + her adorable daughter Ruby, from our December writers group, which was awesome as usual. December has brought lots of new things for me. First of all, Flash is coming along. Currently the word count is at almost 14,000 which is great. Like I've said before, I plan for it to wrap at about 65-70K. Progress is awesome and I am absolutely loving writing something new especially considering it will have no market or length issues! Hooray for awesomeness! I am hoping to have the MS complete with at least a rough edit done by April when I hope to attend a conference in Texas and Utah.

My brother has been trying to help me meet up with New York Time best-selling author, Brandon Sanderson so I can talk to him about my work but that hasn't panned out yet. Apparently my brothers girlfriend works for Winn Sanderson, who is Brandon's dad, and he was willing to meet me and personally introduce me to his son and that would have been fabulous but Mr. Sanderson(the elder) lives in Idaho which is quite a drive. I don't know that we'll ever work that out but it would be super cool if we could. I really appreciate their efforts on my behalf.

I've been having some discouragement issues but that does go with the territory. In my writing group I have a friend who got Stephenie Meyer's agent, Jodi Reamer to represent her a few months back and she(the friend, not the agent!) recently told us that she has a three book deal with a well-known publisher. That's great news for her! I am thrilled for her and also kind of jealous...can't help it. She deserves her success though, for sure, and has been at this longer than I have. Also another friend from writers group that has been querying was telling me she'd received three rejections or something but they were on partials and fulls. I haven't even had one request! UGH. I'm up to 10 rejections out of 19 sent and I know, I will and should, have a ton more rejections(because I nee to query WAY more). I just wish I'd at least get requests for partials.

I find it harder to get rejections from agents that didn't have sample pages or chapters than those that did. I mean, a query letter really doesn't show much about my writing style even though I've taken lots of time trying to perfect it I still have no idea if it really conveys my story. If they read sample pages or chapters and just don't think it's for them it's a lot easier for me to take cuz I get that. I got a chance and didn't wow em. That I can deal with cuz no, not everyone is going to love me and I'm aware of that. Oh well, who really knows. Most of the rejections I get I don't mind so much, but I have a list of "dream agents" and when I get one from one of them it inevitably makes me a little sad. This is a process and I'm sure it will be full of ups and downs and more than a little self doubt. Writing is subjective and it's impossible to be objective about your own work. I just sincerely hope I'm not that author ten years from now still beating a dead horse when I really have no talent.

I do believe I have talent though. I really, sincerely, believe that I can write and that I'm good at it. It's all about timing and finding the right person at the right time who can see that too! Keeping a positive attitude and forging ahead with Flash, which will be marketable and I'll know isn't being rejected because of word count is a positive step for sure!

Flash!

From Drop Box

Just a hint about my new project. It's set fire to my soul again and I love when that happens! I started writing a new story, Flash, on Thanksgiving day and it's filling the pages at a rate I can't believe! It will be far easier to get an agent with this story in my opinion. It has no market questions, it's a definite YA crime drama or thriller and it will be complete at no more than 70K words, probably 65K is quite do-able on it. I'm excited because it's an awesome story and has been so fun to write so far!

As for Hourglass (renamed Rewritten), I'm taking a break from it for a while. I need it. I've decided a few things for sure though about it. #1 it's not a YA. No more going back and forth on it and I'll only query agent's who are interested in adult genre or both. In fact, I think I may even age my MC's up a little. Ally may go from 19 to 21 and Grant from 21 to 25. It's BIG news for me but I think it's best for the book and might actually help the story. It would still be perfect for the New Adult/Post Adolescent genre but it just isn't YA and I'm ok with that, finally! It;s only taken me seven months! LOL

Thankful

I'm a little sad that I wasn't a finalist in the St. Martins Press contest but I'm moving on. Rejection is a part of this and I knew it would happen so I must chalk this up to another bump in my journey and move forward. I've been doing a lot of editing this week and have fallen in love again with the story, which is a good thing. Word count continues to drop and the story gets tighter and tighter as I tweak my prose. All is good. I'm so blessed to be doing what I love. I've been writing since I was a child. Its been an escape in times of heartache and a joy in times of happiness. It's really hard to be objective about your own work so I often second guess it. I don't want to be that person who keeps pushing something that just isn't good. I keep wondering, is this really good? I think I will reach a point where I will set it aside and move to the next project. I do think I can do this. I do think I have talent so it's just a matter of writing the right book, right? Anyway, once this last edit is complete I'll do a month or so more of querying. I'll be working on another project.

I've been wondering if my title was the right one for awhile now and this morning I think i decided it isn't. I'm thinking of calling it, Rewrite. I think that is more compelling and really says what the book is about in so many ways. What do you think?

If I never have a book for sale at a book store I can still be thankful that I enjoyed my life, my kids, and my writing even if no one else did and that's the important things when you lay your head on the pillow at night. I have so many blessings! Happy T-day! :D