Tag Archives: writing a novel

The Hopefuls: Day 1

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Hi, friends!

Today, is Day 1 of The Hopefuls blog series. I’m kicking us off today and tomorrow and will be posting periodically in between guest posts.

But before we get into it, I first want to backtrack to my last post. I mentioned I had a new man. Yes, it’s true. Sorry, Nate. I have a new man…uscript. Oh, okay, fine. Not as juicy. But I’m excited about it. So I wanted to share. I have delved into the world of middle grade fiction and am slugging my way through. Any MG writers or authors out there, who think they can help me out, shoot me an email. I’m happy to critique back!

Onward!

The Hopefuls is an agented support group, for those of us whose journey from signing with agent to publication hasn’t exactly zipped right along. The message is: Look, this happens to a lot of people, it’s just not *talked* about by a lot of people.

We’ll have posts on all sorts of topics: how hard it is to work on something else while obsessing over submissions, concern over disappointing your agent, knowing when to start something new, tips on not going insane, perseverance and more.

If you are a writer and author with a post you’d like to share or even just a quick word of encouragement or advice, email me and I’ll include you. Feel free to remain anonymous.

As always, I can be reached at chandler1986 (at) gmail (dot) com.

You can follow posts in The Hopefuls series by clicking on the relevant category on the righthand sidebar.

Prizes:

Oh yes, I’ll be giving away prizes, of course.

1.)   I’ll give away one book or ARC that I think has a hopeful message for every 50 comments I get. The first book I’ll be giving away is Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Each comment gives you an entry to win. I’ll use a random number generator to pick.

2.)   Because I don’t want to leave out the un-agented among us, I have something for y’all, too. I’ll be doing 2 query critiques for the commenters w/ the most points. You get 1 point per comment (of substance, please), 2 points for tweeting about The Hopefuls, and 3 for linking via your blog or website.

3.)   Other prizes will be announced as we go. But expect more critiques from other great writers as well. Points from #2 will count toward the new prizes as well.

Last logistical bit: If you would like to be included in The Hopefuls Support Group, email me or comment and I’ll email you. I’ll be setting up a group for agented writers to vent about the process and to help each other to ensure that the first offer does come sooner, rather than later.  This will probably be in the form of a listserv because I think that’s the easiest to keep up with, but suggestions are welcome.

The Hopefuls Day 1: My Story

I always, always loved the idea of being an author. That was about it, though. The idea of being an author. Beginning when I was 12 or so, I started a random array of books. I’d be surprised if I ever wrote more than 10 pages. Around 18-years-old, I realized that there may be a difference between loving books and wanting to write them. I decided I would stick to loving them, reading them, the end.

Then, my junior year of college, I started dating someone. We had known each other for a bit, were on the same sports team, and so had pretty much all the same friends. He was the captain of our team and I was just on it. I had this weird need to have something that was only mine. There was that and I had just heard about this thing called Nanowrimo. So, I’m not sure which came first—the wanting something of my own or hearing about Nano—maybe Nano was first and that’s how I justified. Anyway, with Nano you are expected to write 50k in a month. I thought it’d be one of those great stories, do it once in a lifetime, you’re only young once sort of thing. I did it and finished the 50k. Go me!

The writing bug went away for a bit, but I started feeling like I wanted to dabble. So, I wrote some short stuff the next semester. I started subbing at the end of the summer. Got a few little acceptances here and there.

I started reading Miss Snark. That’s when I decided I wanted to go all in. The writing community was just so cool. Publishing is one of those opaque, mysterious industries from the outside, I think. And I felt cool knowing a lot of insider info, through research, etc.

So, I decided to graduate college a semester early and write something. I wrote a book. I queried it too early. I got rejections. I started this blog. I got more rejections. Lots of requests, though. I was happy about that! I realized I actually really liked writing queries. Totally bizarre.

I got an idea for another book. I started writing it. Oops! This book should be a comic book, I realized. How cool was that? I researched comic books. I talked to comic book writers and artists. I did some random work with graphic novel organizations, etc. Wrote for a few people when I could for free. I then wrote my story idea as a graphic novel and found an artist.

In my head, I already knew that this idea was a winner. It had a great twist. I felt so much better about this idea. I queried about 16 agents. Meanwhile, I got an offer of representation on the first book. That agent wanted to rep the new book, too. Yay! But then I got 2 more offers of representation from two great agents.

I ended up going with an agent who wanted to represent the graphic novel. It was Dan Lazar at Writers House. Having him call me up when I wasn’t expecting was one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. Ever! I signed with him, finished the script, and we started subbing in November.

We made it to acquisitions at a couple places, but lots of editors said: I love this story, but can we see it as a regular book maybe?

I wrote 80 pages of the story for Dan in a traditional novel format. He’d never seen my “prose” (for lack of a better word), but thankfully, he loved it! This was incredibly validating for me and I was thrilled.

We officially retired the graphic novel project in March. It was hard to realize that my first project didn’t make the cut, but ultimately, I feel like it is going to work out better in the long run.

Now, I’m writing my story in a whole new format. Many things have changed. The mythology, the setting, the character names. Graphic novels and traditional ones are two very different mediums and you can’t just translate one to the other in a lockstep approach. So, I’m trying to be flexible as I go, realizing it is the same story, but I also need to allow it to evolve. As I said earlier, I’ve also started a new book, a middle grade. Because when you’ve been working on the same story for a year, sometimes it’s good to let your brain cut its teeth on something new. To create again. So that’s where I’m at.

I thought agents were the gatekeepers and that after I tricked (just kidding) one in to signing me, everything would be downhill. Now, don’t get me wrong, the whole journey has been fantastic. I’m thrilled to have my agent as an advocate and I know it really hasn’t been that long. But, that’s why I need a support group and I seriously doubt I’m the only one.

6 Ways To Quit Wasting Your Time

By Posted in Uncategorized, Writing: The Process Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

If you’re like me (and I bet you are), when you are in the midst of submitting your novel/short story/query to agents or editors your day goes something like this:

 

Wake up, check your iPhone for emails before you so much as roll out of bed, go to your computer to check the response times of agents/editors at the Blue Boards, compare with your excel spreadsheets, brush teeth/do hair/try to act like you are about to be productive, go check inbox, check blogs, check inbox, open your Word document, check inbox, stare at screen, check inbox, hit refresh, hit refresh, hit refresh…

 

Ok, so first thing’s first. Take your mouse off the refresh button. Navigate away from your inbox. Close the entire window. Yes, I promise it will be ok. Your emails will still be waiting for you in an hour’s time. I swear.

Now, here’s how we can better spend our time:

 

1. Edit. You might be too wound up to write anything new. Fine. Sometimes that happens. But think about what you can do that is productive. I mean really, really productive. Editing! Go back a few pages and read. Fix any glaring errors or maybe flesh a scene out. This activity is well worth your while, somehow feels less intensive, and is completely guilt free.

2. Grab your notebook. Not your laptop, the kind that involved killing trees. Thanks. Now, go sit on a couch, away from your computer and work out a plot point. If that’s too intensive for your little, wound up mind, think of snippets of dialogue. Again, this takes fewer brain cells, removes your from temptation, and yet is an activity related to your next WIP. Feel good about it.

3. Research. Anything to add realism or depth to your new project. Unfortunately, this places you closer to your computer, but, luckily, your inbox is not just minimized but closed, so resist! Plus, research is fun. Who doesn’t like to learn new things? Plus, the knowledge needed to write novels is usually the useless kind and that’s the best stuff to know anyhow. Take notes.

4. Storyboard. This takes a bit more brain power, so to do this activity you’ll need to not be entirely consumed by the anticipation that comes with waiting for an agent/editor’s verdict. Get a big piece of cardboard and a bunch of post-its. Use different colored post-its because that’s more fun and a ruler to draw the lines because it will look prettier when you finish. Make it look like a weekly calender. A margin on top and then divide into smaller column units. The smaller column units will be labeled as chapters. Different colored post-its should signify different things like characters introduced, clues given, or red herrings thrown in. This way you can visualize how everything is coming together. Plus, with post-its you can move things around as necessary. This will help you to identify plot holes and to see where the story climaxes and mini-climaxes.

5. Go to the library. I know, you probably already have your coat, keys, and are halfway out the door. But, really, reading within your genre is incredibly important and should never be considered a waste of your time. This is also the best way to forget about the milliseconds passing in which you’ve received no emails from Dream Agent #1. Read the book for fun, but pay special attention to what worked in the book and what didn’t. Note what scenes you loved and the ones you hated. As you read more within your genre, try to figure out the trends. You shouldn’t necessarily write for the market, but you should understand it. Of course, if you can afford to do this all at the bookstore, then more power to you. But, hey! We’re trying to decrease stress, so if spending a billion dollars on books doesn’t make you feel great, don’t feel bad. Use the library, it’s the American way! (Also, libraries are great customers for publishers and therefore your favorite authors because they often by multiple copies in hardcover. A great way to help your favorite authors is to request that the library order the book if they don’t have it already!)

6. Finally, if you really can’t handle writing related activities–Attend to Real Life. Writers always complain about real life getting in the way. Well, maybe washing your socks and running the dishwasher is exactly the diversion you need.

 

Status: Just got back from Happy Hour and am about to do some reading. Waiting, waiting, waiting for a page from SCOUT. I’ve got ants in my pants and probably need to take my own advice.