Weekly blog, take 2
I wrote this blog posting previously, but it seems to have vanished into Internet oblivion. So let's see if I can do it a second time.
I'm on a roll with the new story! At least as much as I can be while still losing my mind at the day job (deadline, one more time). I have a good friend who I've been brainstorming with and she's into it, which makes me into it, and which takes my mind off waiting for replies on my Living Canvas queries. The new story is also helping me cope with an impossibly oppressive busy season at work (see my post about writing as therapy - definitely stress relief).
This weekend, I'm headed to the Chicago Spring Fling writers conference. I have a pitch appointment with a publisher I'd love to get in with. Let me tell you a little about pitch appointments. My first pitch, at the Chicago conference lo those many years ago, I was extremely nervous. For starters, I hadn't signed up soon enough to get one, but (shout out to best selling author, Simone Elkeles) the conference organizer took me under her wing and got me in on a cancellation. I was so nervous! Since then, I'm more excited than nervous. This is the chance to meet someone who can help me further my writing and form a relationship with them. Two years ago, there was one publisher who had extra spots, so some of us doubled up. It wasn't a publisher I was necessarily targeting, but any exposure is good, right? When I met her, I can honestly say I never saw someone less interested in networking in my life. Yes, she asked for a partial, but she listened with a bored expression on her face and looking as if she'd rather be anywhere else than at a writers conference taking pitches. But hey, that's what she signed up for. It reinforced my opinion that this wasn't a publisher I cared over much about. This year, I have one that's top on my list! I'm excited! Now to perfect my pitch ...
In the meantime, I'm on a roll with the new story. It's alive and running and whispering "series" in my ear. This is when writing is fun! So until I hit the middle of the novel blahs, I'm remembering why I love to write!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The importance of backstory
Now that Living Canvas is finished and waiting for a publisher, I've been referring back to my notes for a new story. Time to start a new project!
Jumping in (it's tentatively titled "Even in the Quietest Moments"), I've been having a good time getting to know my characters and the plot devices I want to include. I penned the first chapter, and started rewriting right away. It hasn't gelled yet, and that's when the characters grabbed me by the collar and told me they need me to know the backstory first. Backstory is important, and in this case, it can be critical to plot development.
Backstory is what happened to your characters before they came onto the page. Their history. In this story, I have to go back at least a hundred years. There is family information that is plot critical, so I need to take some more time and look over the family history before I can move them forward.
Backstory is a tricky thing to fit in. If you disclose too much all at once, you run the risk of "info dumping." It has to be woven in slowly, unobtrusively, or your readers will lose track of the story being told. But in some cases, the back story is instrumental to what's happening on the page. And so, before I can start on chapter 2, I have to get my characters to tell me about the ancestors. Then I can decide how to weave that information into the story - whether it will require flashback chapters or a method of handing down information to future generations.
Still one more deadline to meet at the day job (although the worst is over), and then it's full speed ahead on the new story. If you read my post on "Writing as Therapy," let me tell you how good it feels to have time to daydream again! Writing is definitely stress relief for me!
Jumping in (it's tentatively titled "Even in the Quietest Moments"), I've been having a good time getting to know my characters and the plot devices I want to include. I penned the first chapter, and started rewriting right away. It hasn't gelled yet, and that's when the characters grabbed me by the collar and told me they need me to know the backstory first. Backstory is important, and in this case, it can be critical to plot development.
Backstory is what happened to your characters before they came onto the page. Their history. In this story, I have to go back at least a hundred years. There is family information that is plot critical, so I need to take some more time and look over the family history before I can move them forward.
Backstory is a tricky thing to fit in. If you disclose too much all at once, you run the risk of "info dumping." It has to be woven in slowly, unobtrusively, or your readers will lose track of the story being told. But in some cases, the back story is instrumental to what's happening on the page. And so, before I can start on chapter 2, I have to get my characters to tell me about the ancestors. Then I can decide how to weave that information into the story - whether it will require flashback chapters or a method of handing down information to future generations.
Still one more deadline to meet at the day job (although the worst is over), and then it's full speed ahead on the new story. If you read my post on "Writing as Therapy," let me tell you how good it feels to have time to daydream again! Writing is definitely stress relief for me!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Cheating . . . .
I'm guest blogging over at Terry Odell's place today, so I'm cheating this week (since it's still busy season at work). Stop over and say hello!
http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2012/04/writing-as-therapy.html#more
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Spring Fling
Yes, the title could relate to the beautiful weather we've had, although I have to say, I'm a little unsure of what to expect for the summer if spring is showing up a month early. But that's another story . . .
Spring Fling is also the name of the Chicago Writer's Conference coming up at the end of the month. In addition to crashing through the busiest time of year at the day job, I've been diligently trying to get Living Canvas ready to pitch to agents and publishers at the conference. I'm pleased to say that it appears to be done, although it could use one last look over. I'm always a little leery when I do a "last look" and find glaring errors. In fixing those, oftentimes I make new ones that get overlooked; hence, one more time. At this stage, though, its more mechanics and less storyline problems. That's the good news! That's easy.
The pitch? No, it doesn't mean I'll be tossing the completed manuscript at them. It means I need a good "tag line," something provocative that will invite someone to look a little deeper, and then a short summary that will entice them to want to read it. I've had good success with pitch sessions in the past. It seems I can present pretty well in person, but I haven't been as successful with the written presentation that follows. We'll see if that can't change this year.
I'm also looking forward to hanging out with writer friends that I've met at prior conferences. It's fun to spend time with people who completely understand the writing end of things-the good and the bad. I always come away inspired and refreshed. For all the times when you wonder why you waste the time writing such drivel that no one could possibly want to read (a.k.a. writer's angst), the conferences are like a pep rally that give you tools to keep the writing from being drivel. It's also encouraging when you hear well-known, multiple-published authors tell you that they still get an occassional rejection. We can't always get it right.
And so, as I struggle to stand back up after being crushed under the craziness of a seasonal day job, I'm looking forward to refreshing my muse and updating my writing skill set for the changes in the industry.
Spring Fling is also the name of the Chicago Writer's Conference coming up at the end of the month. In addition to crashing through the busiest time of year at the day job, I've been diligently trying to get Living Canvas ready to pitch to agents and publishers at the conference. I'm pleased to say that it appears to be done, although it could use one last look over. I'm always a little leery when I do a "last look" and find glaring errors. In fixing those, oftentimes I make new ones that get overlooked; hence, one more time. At this stage, though, its more mechanics and less storyline problems. That's the good news! That's easy.
The pitch? No, it doesn't mean I'll be tossing the completed manuscript at them. It means I need a good "tag line," something provocative that will invite someone to look a little deeper, and then a short summary that will entice them to want to read it. I've had good success with pitch sessions in the past. It seems I can present pretty well in person, but I haven't been as successful with the written presentation that follows. We'll see if that can't change this year.
I'm also looking forward to hanging out with writer friends that I've met at prior conferences. It's fun to spend time with people who completely understand the writing end of things-the good and the bad. I always come away inspired and refreshed. For all the times when you wonder why you waste the time writing such drivel that no one could possibly want to read (a.k.a. writer's angst), the conferences are like a pep rally that give you tools to keep the writing from being drivel. It's also encouraging when you hear well-known, multiple-published authors tell you that they still get an occassional rejection. We can't always get it right.
And so, as I struggle to stand back up after being crushed under the craziness of a seasonal day job, I'm looking forward to refreshing my muse and updating my writing skill set for the changes in the industry.
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