Weekly Progress Report

This week I haven't been as productive as I wanted to be. I only edited about 50 pages but I did finished judging entries for a writing contest. I love being a judge. My word count for my fantasy adventure story is only about 10K so finishing it before nano isn't going to be easy, but I'm still gonna try. I need to write about 2K a day. We'll see.

I'm not home write now. Hubby, the boys, and I are in Erie for a conference for hubby. Hopefully the boys will behave and let me have some time to write when they nap. The question is whether or not son #1 will nap. Normally he doesn't away from home.

In other news, I would love for you to check out my latest interview. I had a lot of fun answering Phil's questions.

I'm going to try to enter Miss Snark's BakerDozen contest for Elena's Pen. I would love to have some more feedback on my logline!

Also, Dear Editor is having a Free First 20 Pages Critique” Giveaway!

And the fabulous Shannon Messenger is having an equally fabulous contest. Check out the details here.

So what have you been up to this past week? Anything fun or new or exciting?

Check out some other great progress report this week:

http://www.writersally.blogspot.com/
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com/p/tuesday-wip-status.html
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in/
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://lynneawest.blogspot.com

Pay it Forward Blogfest

 

Matthew MacNish at The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment and Alex Cavanaugh have created the Pay It Forward Blogfest. 

"Here is how the blogfest will actually work: The idea is to introduce everyone to everyone else. We want this to be an easy post that allows you to meet and follow as many other bloggers as you can. In your post, we would like you to please list, describe, and link to three blogs that you enjoy reading, but that you suspect may fly under the radar of a lot of other bloggers. Or they can be famous blogs, as long as they're awesome.

But don't stop there! Certainly visit and follow all the blogs that are featured in people's posts the day of the blogfest, but those don't have to be the only blogs you visit. You can visit everyone who enters in on the fun, and signs up on the linky list. In the interest of time you don't even have to leave comment. You can just follow, and come back another time. After all, we all know we don't have time to visit every blog we enjoy every single day."

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So here are the three blogs I'm highlighting:

1. Linda Mclaren - I just started following this blog, and it's a great one. Linda does what she can to help other writers including opening it up to logline for critiques.

2. Cherie Reich - A good friend, awesome writer and great editor. She always knows the right thing to say.

3.David Powers King - A fellow fantasy writer, I love visiting David's blog.

So there you go, 3 blogs that I want to pay it forward with. What are some of your favorite blogs to visit?

I'm off to go find new blogs to follow!

The Grief of Querying

Soon I'm going to start on that potentially long and arduous journey of querying. I haven't even started yet and it's already giving me grief so I decided to devote today's blog post to querying and the stages of grief.

Denial

I sent out one query letter an hour ago. Any minute now, my top agent will email and ask for the full. A few hours later, my top agent will email again asking when is the perfect time to call. To offer representation. Yeah, I'm that good.

Anger

I've sent out ten query letters so far and I've heard back from six already. All form rejections. Are you kidding me? What kind of hack agents are they that they don't know what a literary genius I am? Well, it's their loss. They'll be crying every night once I get a bazillon dollar deal.

Bargaining

A full request is a step in the right direction. Even if it does result in a rejection. Just ask for the full.

Ok, fine, a partial. Just read the first three chapters.

The first ten pages.

Read something besides the query letter.

Just respond to my query letter!

Depression

I'll never get an agent. I'll never find a publisher. I'm not a writer, I'm just a wannabe. I should cover my head with a paper bag. I couldn't even write my way out of a paper bag.

Acceptance

All I can do is write the best novel I can write. And tweak my query letter until it shines. Give myself every opportunity to shine. A lot of publishing requires perfect timing and luck. If I never put myself out there, I'll never become a writer.

Stratch that. I already am a writer.

Question of the Week

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

I've been thinking lately (a dangerous pastime, I know) about science fiction. It's one genre I haven't written much in other than a half-finished short story. Anyhow, I was thinking about different alien races.

Why do all alien races have the same five senses as humans? Why aren't some blind or deaf and have a different sense instead? Maybe I haven't read enough in the genre.

So today's question - if you could create a new sense, what would it be?

Weekly Progress Report

Time for another progress report!

This week, I edited abot 200 pages for various editing jobs. I've also started writing a MG fantasy adventure story about a princess. This story has been so much fun to write! It's gonna be a lot shorter than some of my other novels, so I'm hoping to finish the first draft by the end of the month, before Nano starts.

I also had an online pitch session with an agent. She requested the first 10 pages so I'm excited about that.

In other news, I had an ultrasound on Thursday. With my first two pregnancies, we didn't learn the sex, but this time, we decided to find out. In mid-February sometime, we'll be welcoming Christopher James into the world. Yes, a third boy.

So what have you been up to this past week? Anything fun or new or exciting?

Check out some other great progress report this week:

http://www.writersally.blogspot.com/
http://jc-martin.com/fighterwriter/
http://waibelworld.blogspot.com
http://susanfieldswriter.blogspot.com
http://skmayhew.blogspot.com/p/tuesday-wip-status.html
http://margoberendsen.blogspot.com
http://www.sherryauger.blogspot.com
http://www.susanoloier.blogspot.com--in/
http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com/
http://lynneawest.blogspot.com