Top Sekrit WIP Snippet Revealed August 9, 2012

For those of you wondering what I’ve been up to lately, you can take a peek for yourself over on the WriteOnCon forums. I posted the first 250 words for feedback purposes.

If you’d like to see what I’m writing (and maybe even chip in your own $0.02 on whether or not it grabs you), just follow the link below!

http://writeoncon.com/forum/showthread.php?8206-YA-thriller-THE-DOLLMAKER&highlight=thriller

And remember, WriteOnCon starts on Tuesday August 14th! The full schedule is up, and you should totally check it out!

C.

Summer Conference August 7, 2012

So, you write MG, YA, chapter books or picture books?

You want to attend really awesome conferences, but they’re either too expensive, too far away, or you just can’t get enough to fit into your schedule?

You feel like you’ve come home when you hang out with a group of authors walking their own journeys?

If any of the above applies to you (yes, even if it is just one thing), I strongly suggest you attend WriteOnCon next week.

But, Cheryl, I just told you I don’t have time/money/interest/an alpaca…

No worries!

Go to http://www.writeoncon.com – it’s an ONLINE writing conference. It’s FREE. It’s totally focused on kidlit. And even though there are live events, everything has a transcript (or is archived in the forum), so you can check it out WHENEVER your schedule allows!

Seriously, check it out. It’s worth it.

C.

Post Conference Crash October 25, 2010

Boy, am I wiped.

Three days of fabulousness have left me feeling like an empty shell of a person. I have so many memories and I learned so much. On top of that, a number of attendees have been keeping the spirit alive on Twitter. The SiWC hashtag (#siwc2010) is still seeing a lot of traffic. It’s wonderful.

I know this is shaping up to be a lame post because my bed is calling to me, so I’ll reduce the lameness by telling you about the live chat with Sara Megibow from Nelson Literary that happened over on the WriteOnCon site earlier this evening. While it’s too late to join, you can read the transcript here: http://writeoncon.com/2010/10/live-chat-with-literary-agent-sara-megibow/

There’s tonnes of great info in that chat!

C.

More Contests! Actually, they’re Giveaways!!! September 14, 2010

The fabulous organizers of WriteOnCon 2010 are giving away books, query critiques, and chapter critiques as a lead-in to the September event: live chat with agents Jessica Sinsheimer and Roseanne Wells!

You can connect to all the giveaways on the WriteOnCon site here: http://writeoncon.com/2010/09/nightly-recap-of-epic-epicness/

Would you like signed ARCs of some great YA books? Me too! Elana Johnson is giving some away on her blog here: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/2010/09/writeoncon-amazing-amazingness.html

How about a 50-page manuscript critique and a chance to name two characters in an upcoming YA book? Check out LiLa’s blog: http://lisa-laura.blogspot.com/2010/09/read-first-chapter-of-liar-society-and.html

Casey McCormick is giving away two really awesome YA books here: http://caseylmccormick.blogspot.com/2010/09/so-many-giveaways.html

Shannon Messenger has autographed books here: http://ramblingsofawannabescribe.blogspot.com/2010/09/epic-giveway-of-epic-epicness.html

Jamie Harrington has autographed books too: http://www.totallythebomb.com/writeoncon-giveaway

There are also dozens of giveaways on the WriteOnCon site!!! YOWZA!

C.

Finished! September 5, 2010

My current WIP is a WIP no more!

The query I began polishing during WriteOnCon is coming out of storage in preparation for launching at unsuspecting literary agents. *squee*

Have I mentioned I love querying? I do. There must be something wrong with me because I find the whole process exciting. Seriously. I love searching for agents who I think will like my work, reading up on their interests and acquisitions, and then tailoring a letter designed to knock their socks off.

I love tracking my queries in my spreadsheet. I love tracking them in QueryTracker too.

I love, love, love querying!

Rejections don’t bother me. Again, I am serious. Unless an agent replies with, “You suck and shouldn’t be allowed near a keyboard ever again,” I choose to look at my query like it’s my husband. I love him dearly. Do I expect every woman we meet to fall instantly in love with him too? Uh, no. *eyes crowd suspiciously* There’s nothing wrong with my husband, but that doesn’t mean EVERY woman will want to spend her life with him. The same holds true for my query – I love my book, but not everyone else will (my cheerleader read it and says it’s super awesome, but she gets paid to say that, so don’t take her word for it – go out and buy it yourself once it hits store shelves). I need to find an agent who LOVES my book. If that’s the first agent I query, or the 139th, it won’t matter so long as they feel about my story the way I feel about my husband.

Anyway, I must be off – I have agents to query!

C.

“Writing is Subjective” August 26, 2010

When I first heard those words bandied about, I thought they were a euphemism for, “Your writing sucks.” Of course, I’m sure some people still use them that way, but the more times I throw my writing out for others to see, the more I am struck with the truth behind the phrase.

I am participating in the Adventures in Children’s Publishing pitch contest (http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/) and each entry is an example of how subjective the industry truly is. I am reading pitches that make me yawn and I scroll down to find commenters drooling over them, or I’m reading ones that intrigue me and finding others asking (what appear to me to be) inane questions that no reasonable person would expect answered in a query.

I noticed this on the WriteOnCon forums too. There are as many interpretations as there are people, and this leaves me stuck in a bit of a quandry. With so many opinions, how is a writer supposed to figure out who to listen to?

Some advocate only following the suggestions that ring true to you with regards to your story, leaving the comments you don’t agree with behind (unless a whole bunch of people say the same thing – then you ought to consider examining that element of your ms). But again, how is a writer to know who to listen to – because sometimes the best feedback is the opinion you least want to listen to (“kill your darlings” anyone?)?

I almost feel like closing my eyes, plugging my nose, and just plunging in with whatever I’ve got. Except, I want to improve and grow, and I can’t do that without seeking feedback. How do you decide which feedback to listen to?

C.

WriteOnCon Touchback Chat August 23, 2010

The amazing organizers of WriteOnCon hosted a chat this evening to solicit feedback from attendees. I missed the first part because I was finishing up dinner, but I caught the second half and am glad I made it.

Not only was it a great opportunity for the attendees to say, “Thank You” to those amazing women, but they opened the floor to us and asked us what worked, what we’d like to see done differently, and basically let us shout out our dreams for a conference that already exceeded everyone’s wildest imagination.

I am hoping the organizers will put together some merchandise – I’d love a tote bag, t-shirt, bookmark, or decal as a souvenir of the most awesome online writing conference in the universe. Not only would it be a cool token for me, but the profits could be used to help cover the cost of hosting the event too. A number of people expressed an interest in being able to donate to help out, and I totally agree.

I know the organizers want to be able to keep the conference free for everyone, but I would have easily paid to attend the event. The three days of awesomeness are worth supporting, and I am both willing and able to pay for the privilege to join in. In addition to the merchandise, I REALLY hope those ladies put up a donate button so we can help out.

Ideally, I’d like to pay their largesse forward. They organized this conference to pay forward the good advice and support they received, and I’d like to do the same. I’m all for paying it back to them, but I wish I could think of something I could do on top of that to help spread the good karma forward.

Kudos to those who organized the event, and I am already eagerly awaiting the 2011 version! (That, and my bedazzled 403 t-shirt.)

C.

Making Friends August 15, 2010

I registered for WriteOnCon with no real idea of what to expect. I hoped I’d pick up a few new thoughts and ideas on writing – hoping to get something to help improve my craft – and I came away with so much more.

If you’ve been to the site, you’ve seen the amazing posts and vlogs put together by the industry professionals. I doubt you could come away with the same quantity of advice, teaching, and inspiration at an in-person conference, because there, you have to choose which sessions to attend.

However, the one thing I didn’t expect to come away with was new friends. I’m not sure why I didn’t expect that – it’s not like I’ve never made friends on other forums, but I figured the time was so short, and the focus would be on the presentations. I’m not complaining. I think it’s fabulous.

Writing is by its nature a solitary activity, so to find others who ‘get’ what you’re going through, who understand the slang and industry jargon, and who know that synopses are a cruel joke and no one likes the punchline; it’s a wonderful feeling.

Tonight I would like to say thank you to the wonderful people I met at WriteOnCon for being who you are, where you are, and with me on this writing journey.

C.

Post-Conference Come Down August 13, 2010

Wow.

I am so tired I’m not following Twitter links, reading the writing newsletters gathering dust in my inbox, or even anticipating the arrival of the next issue of a writing magazine.

I would blog more, but I am drained. If you want to learn anything about writing, go to www.writeoncon.com

Seriously.

C.

WriteOnCon Day Three August 12, 2010

I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but there were very few live events throughout the day today compared to the two previous days, and I’m thankful for this. I cannot believe the amazing content on the site, and the feedback and discussions happening on the forums. I needed the day to sift through the static materials (many of which were vlogs, so it still felt interactive).

In terms of my personal growth as a writer, a couple of things happened during the conference which are of note. One, I am going to be exchanging a few thousand words with a couple of other writers to see if we like the other’s critique style in an effort to find a critique partner/group. I’m quite excited about this and am looking forward to seeing how this pans out. Two, a literary agent found my query on one of the forum threads and LOVED it so much he/she sent me a private message asking to see pages! *SQUEE*

Even though the conference is technically over, the organizers are still running contests and draws for door prizes. There’s also talk of keeping the forums open (like permanently open) for registered users to keep posting in! The organizers have done such a great job of bringing the kidlit writing community even closer together – it’s absolutely phenomenal.

WriteOnCon 2010 was the first online writing conference of its kind, and it was/is a HUGE success. I can hardly wait until the 2011 version – and I hope maybe I’ll be able to help out in some way (you know, to keep paying it forward).

C.