Looking in on RCW

Our critique group gathered for its regular meeting last week. Members submitted a variety of genres and topics which resulted in lively discussions with lots of give and take.

One discussion centered on the different issues a writer has when starting a piece compared to the process needed for polishing a finished piece.

When a writer wants to work with an idea (we’re talking fiction here) some kind of outline is developed (if that is the way the writer works). At the very least, the writer must have clear ideas about what genre, what time frame, what POV, what setting best suits a particular idea. Where will the writer start the story and where will it end? How will the plot unroll so that it is logical but also encompasses twists, turns, surprises and suspense? This part of the writing process establishes the underlying structure, or armature, of the piece.

At the other end of the process, it’s time to polish. The story has setting, plot, characters and a solid form with a beginning, middle and end. How to get it to shine?

Take a bird’s eye view. Look at the writing as a whole, keeping in mind the overall story arc while carefully reviewing word choice, pacing and consistency of action. Are the characters well served by every element in the dialogue, does the story move exactly at the right speed or does the pacing need to be tightened, loosened? Does the end follow solidly from the beginning?

The writer needs to let go of his/her ego and make decisions that serve the story best, a story that, by now should be “speaking” so strongly that it will be fairly easy to know what to keep and what to change or drop.

What about you? How do you start? How is that process different from putting on the finishing touches?

An even bigger question: how do you know when the polishing is done? That’s a question for later… stay tuned!

On the Virtues of Time and Distance

I’m revising my first novel again. Golly, did I really think it was done? How did I miss that awkward phrase, the passive voice and those run-on sentences? I’d only gone through it about a million times.

It has been a while since I looked at this novel closely. And in the intervening months, I’ve attended several conferences, had a private critique session with an editor, completed a second novel and worked deep into a third.

Heck, I’d almost forgotten what the first novel was all about.

Precisely!

I came back to my first novel with as fresh a pair of eyes as I’m likely to have. Add to that perspective, a review of the comments from my critique group (yep, better hang on to those even after you think you’ve finished with them), advice from the agent who critiqued the first ten pages of the novel, and the bits and pieces of wisdom from the presentations, panels and craft-building sessions at the conferences. I’m astonished at what I didn’t see before.

Which is exactly what time and distance do.

So, how do you space out your revisions? Are you ever done? Perhaps the real question is not ‘am I done’ but ‘is it done enough’?

Here's to snow days...

Soot-black night retreats, leaving

Unexpected gift
In grey morning’s frozen white

 I confess to being a creature of habit. So, ordinarily, I object to having my plans changed suddenly even if the change agent is something uncontrollable like the weather. Earlier this month, the announcements of school closings and probable accumulation of snow brought my plans for a day or two to a screeching halt. I feel compelled to disclose that I have no school-age children, so having toddlers or teens suddenly underfoot wasn’t the problem. Still, there were appointments and errands to cancel or reschedule. But my mood improved as I grasped the opportunities presented by the disruption. The bad weather was really a gift, if I could change my attitude. I now had an abundance of writing time; time to ponder, hours of silence to write or revise, opportunities for taking breaks and then to return again, to plan, ponder, write and revise. It’s not often I’m able to indulge my muse like that. So here’s to the gift of a long stretch of uninterrupted time, a silver lining if ever there was one. Because found time is writing time. So… what did you do with the gift of unplanned time when the cold and snow brought everyone and everything to a stand-still last week? I hope you wrote!

Finding Peace and Joy with Writing

By Deb Dudley

I realized last week that I haven’t written a blog post in months.  Sometimes, when our lives take an unexpected turn, it’s difficult to balance everything.  This past year has been very challenging for me.  My dad is very sick, and as much as I hoped and prayed he’d get better, he hasn’t.  In the midst of my struggle to cope with what is happening, I accidentally stopped writing.  At first I just skipped a day or two.  But as the year progressed, and my dad’s condition worsened, a few skipped days eventually turned into a few skipped weeks. 

It took several months for me to realize I was gradually moving further and further away from writing.  Thankfully, the month of October would be my turning point.  I attended the James River Writing Conference with my good friend Lisa (Elle) Blair.  A few times leading up to the event I thought about skipping it.  I wasn’t sure my heart was in it, but something told me I needed to be there.  And if I could share one piece of wisdom with you, it would be this – when something deep inside tells you to do something, DO IT.  Because by following my instinct and going to the JRW conference, I had a front row seat to glory.  I watched my dear friend Lisa pitch to an agent, submit her manuscript and eventually receive the CALL.  For any new writer who may not be familiar with the CALL, there are two earth-rocking types.  The CALL is either (1) An agent – wanting to discuss representation OR (2) An editor – wanting to discuss the option of publishing your book.  At this point in my career, I have not had the pleasure of receiving either type of CALL yet, but thanks to my writing buddy Lisa, I experienced the next best thing: the joy and bliss of watching her receive her CALL.  I’m delighted to report that Lisa (Elle) Blair is now represented by Beth Phelan of The Bent Agency.  

Coming out of October, my excitement for Lisa lifted my spirits and helped me dive back into writing.  And as luck would have it, November is THE MONTH for picture book creativity.  One of my favorite picture book writers on Twitter, Tara Lazar, dubbed November PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month).  So I dropped by Tara’s website and joined over a thousand other writers in a fabulous month filled with inspiring blog posts and fun giveaways.  By November 30^th, I had over sixty new picture book ideas and a few new complete manuscripts ready to submit to my critique partners at Richmond Children’s Writers. 

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, I am swamped with additional responsibilities and commitments, but I am happy to say I am still committed to making writing a top priority.  In the chaos of everything, I know writing brings me peace and joy.

For more information on the two talented ladies I mentioned above, you can visit their websites:

Lisa Blair (pen name Elle Blair):  www.elleblair.com

Tara Lazar:  www.taralazar.com

Have a wonderful holiday season filled with peace, joy, love and writing!

Rejection as a Growing Experience

By Chris Sorensen

About two months ago I did something that I have never done before as a writer – I sent out query letters to literary agents (yikes!). I have taken advantage of several opportunities to meet with and pitch my project to agents at writing conferences, but never before have I had to hit ‘send’ on the keyboard with my query attached. It has been a learning experience.

 Having other writer friends who have been through the process, I knew enough to be optimistic, without being unrealistic. Following the advice of some agents who are active bloggers online, I came up with a list of 20 agents to start with. From there, I divided them into groups of 5, starting with the 5 I wanted to work with the most. Of those first 5 agents, these are results I have from my queries:

-          3 flat out rejections – 2 were form rejections and 1 gave honest, encouraging feedback of why that agent wasn’t the one for me, but gave me hope by saying that I was “doing everything right.”

-          1 request for first 50 pages – from the initial query, the agent was interested in reading part of the manuscript; still don’t have final word yet

-          1 still waiting to respond

It would be easy to get down and discouraged…”if nobody has picked it up yet, nobody will”, “why does it have to take so long”, etc. And those feelings are certainly present, especially after you have put all your blood, sweat, and tears into your story, your baby. But there is silver lining in all the rejection, if, as a writer, you are open to looking for it. For myself, I learned that my query was good enough for a couple of requests, but something must be missing. The 1 agent who told me I was “doing everything right” was very sincere and really helped me keep a positive attitude. So before my next round of submissions, I am going to get some critiques on my query, synopsis, and first 10 pages (usually what agents request). Then after I send the next round with my submissions tweaked, hopefully, I’ll get a more positive response.  If not, well then it’s back to the drawing board.

When it’s all said and done, be thankful for rejection, because it means two things: 1) you are willing to submit your work and as long as you keep doing that it means you are not giving up and 2) even with rejection, you are still getting feedback on what directions to take next.

Happy writing!

 

Writing Conferences Redux

By Hazel Buys

Last time I wrote about my delight at attending two writing conferences in October: the James River Writers conference in Richmond, VA, and the MidAtlantic Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference, at the Dulles Holiday Inn, in northern VA.

Did I mention there was homework?

The antecedent to this idea was actually visited upon me at the MidAtlantic SCBWI novel revision retreat held in Richmond, VA, last June. One of the editors at the retreat invited us all to submit queries BUT we were instructed to wait a specified number of weeks after the retreat before submitting. Why? To make use of the information/advice we’d received over the three days in order to improve/revise/complete our novels before submitting.

In other words, make the three days count. It was a revision retreat, after all. And the teaching staff gave us extensive advice on how to do just that.

This rubric, I realized, applies to any conference I attend. There is bound to be lots of advice given out at any conference, no matter how many revisions you have already done on any given piece, on how to improve your writing. You can imagine the list of advice/improvements/ideas for rewriting I had coming off two conferences in one month!

But I did not shrink from the challenge. I have spent the last month rewriting/revising and otherwise improving, checking and polishing the submission I thought I was ready to send off promptly, when the conferences closed. Good thing, too.

My submission is so much better than I thought it could be!

So, how do you continue to profit from writing conferences you attend, long after they are over? Be sure to include new ideas for revision and polishing your work in what you take-away.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Conferences Galore!

by Hazel Buys

October was a whirlwind month! I gave my writing self a BIG gift this year: attendance at both the James River Writers and the SCBWI conferences. My money was well spent. Participation is key, of course. With that in mind, I signed up for pre-conference intensives at both gatherings, as well as a pitch session and a consultation.

The JRW conference offered a track strategy for choosing sessions, offering ‘Exploring Genre,’ ‘Improving Your Craft,’ ‘Getting Published,’ ‘The Life of a Story’ and ‘Promoting Your Book.’ I chose from several different tracks and found the categories useful for prioritizing my interests. At the Library of Virginia Literary luncheon, I was surprised and delighted to find myself sitting at the table with Kevin O’Malley. This funny and immensely talented man spent the time not eating, but drawing an illustration for each person at the table. I saw him bestow more in several sessions I attended. Unexpected blessings!

Cynthia Lord, keynote speaker (Rules) at the SCBWI conference (“The Plusses and Perils of Writing What You Know”), was impressive and inspirational. Her personal experiences on her way to publication of an award-winning debut novel resonated with everyone and gave us much to think about. It was my first experience at the conference’s new location at the Holiday Inn – Dulles. The meeting rooms were comfortable, spacious and all on one floor, with accommodations for those staying overnight just down the hall.

Did you attend either conference? Which one? Leave a comment with your thoughts and take-away moments to share. We’d love to hear from you.