My writing is 99% inspiration, 1% getting the cat off my desk, 50% drinking coffee, and 2.3% putting words down. And I know that doesn’t add up to 100%. I said write, not do math things.
A win! Maybe.
So, I just got a personalized rejection. It was quite nice! “Unique idea” “Interesting concept” were very nice things to read. I do feel like I’m knocking on the door, but I know I’m out quite there. I’m working on having a third picture book manuscript “ready” and hopefully that’ll be soon...you know, like 1-3 years :)
Have a wonderful weekend!
NaNoWriMo, StoryStorm, 12x12, ReForReMo, etcetera.
All worthwhile contests and events. Do you participate in any?
NaNoWriMo is one I’ve ‘entered’ many times, but never completed. Most of the time, I set a goal of poems, and picture book manuscripts, and, in the distant past, getting in 50,000 words for fantasy novels. I once hit 35,000 words, but that’s as close as I’ve gotten to 50K. I never hit my goals for poems AND PB manuscripts, but have hit for one or the other. I’ve had word goals for early chapter books, and for middle grade fantasy books, but never came close to reaching them. For me, getting in those high numbers are not a goal I want to really do. It leaves me feeling like I’m just practicing writing, rather than going for quality. Yes, I do practice writing, often, but doing this much in one month is not for me (anymore!).
StoryStorm, formally called PiBoIdMo, is about creating thirty (PB) ideas in a month. This, I love. I’ve gotten so much joy out of reading different authors posts for how they get ideas, to perusing art work on line for inspiration, as well as doing a favorite ast time of mine- people watching. I’ve hit over thirty ideas each time, and will do this event year after year. Most of the ideas I get are for PBs, though I’ve also gotten ideas for CBs, MG, and YA.
12x12 is Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge. I did 12x12 for five years, but did not join last year. I may this year, but I’m not sure. The goal is to write twelve picture book manuscripts in twelve months. I’ve ‘won’ 12x12 four out of five years I was in it. There are two levels of 12x12, with Gold being the highest. A bonus of being a Gold level member, over the Silver level, is being able to submit to one of two featured agents each month, and having your PB being placed at the top of the slush pile. A draw back is that I usually only get an actual rejection from about 60% of whomever I submit to. I also have not submitted each month as both agents may not be for me when I research them. It happens! 12x12 is also a cost for each of the levels, so that’s another consideration. I didn’t join last year as I was saving money for a week long writing conference during the summer, and I may go there again. A plus of being a member is the AMAZING level of support you get from other writers as ALL levels from beginner to already published.
ReForReMo is Reading For Research Month. I signed up once, but I never completed it. The idea is to read a book each day that can serve as a mentor text to help you with your own writing. There are daily posts all month long during the heat of the event, and weekly posts throughout the year. It’s another great opportunity to help you learn to delve deeper into the craft of writing.
Did I miss any? Let me know!
What’s your favorite? Let us know!
Rejects. No. Pass. Whatever you call them, you’ll get lots. That’s all part of being a writer. Every writer has a file of their rejections. Well, at least I do. I have a real one, for physical rejections, and a virtual one, for e-mail rejections. Plus another one on Submittable. I guess that’s a double up on the virtual rejections.
How do you handle them? That’s personal. Not as in, “I’m not telling you!” But as in how we handle the experience. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had three. Not just rejections, but three different reactions to the 1,256 MSs I’d sent out in early August. Hear they are, in order of preference:
1. NO! YOUR WORK SUCKS! WHY ARE YOU EVEN DOING THIS ANYMORE!
I had this reaction after my mentor had recommended a small publishing house for my picture book manuscript, I sent it out, and got a rejection. I’d even included the proper postage to get the MS back, and they didn’t send it back. Just the rejection form in an envelope with three stamps (I only used two to sent it out with the SASE). This one hurt. A lot. But you have to move on, and I did after some sulking and pondering why I’m even doing this. Rationalizing it helped: they accept 40/20,000 titles a year. Odds are not in your favor.
2. Okay, I have it out with a few other agents I carefully research, this just wasn’t the right agent.
This is my reaction for most of my rejections. I have two strong stories, one of which I’ve sent out to nine agents, and I have seven or eight others waiting to send it to if it gets passed on by all of them. I’m still waiting to hear from six (I think...).
3. HAH!
I had this on Saturday. I sent it out around 9:30 A.M., and got a form rejection around 7:30 P.M. ‘after careful consideration.’ Very careful. What could you do? I laughed. We were definitely not meant to work together!
There are others, too. A couple times I’ve gotten a non format rejection, and once I got a rewrite and submit. And, one I haven’t gotten yet, which is an ‘I’d like to see more work’ or ‘I love your work, please call me!’ Yet.
Did I miss any? Let me know!
So? Why?
This is a question my wife took me through over a year or so ago. Knowing your WHY for what you do is very important (Did you know that?).
The question came up when I was filling out a grant form for a writing program. Why do you write?
When I handed it over for my wife to check, she said my ‘why’ was wrong.
Wrong? What do you mean? I write because I want kids to read.
No, that’s not it.
Fine (it was finally my turn to say that!!!). How about I want to make kids laugh. Yeah, that’s my why!
Nope, that’s not it either. Why do you want to write? What do you hope will happen.
Queue the lightbulb.
I want to make kids and their parents laugh and read together.
Wrong.
’Pop’ goes the bulb.
More grumbles and mutters from me.
Then I pause, and I think about the students I teach, and about why I read, and it hits me:
I write for kids to help inspire them to create worlds of their own with their own writing.
But, I’ve discovered, I write for another reason. And here it is:
Searching for the right
words to open my heart for
all to see and feel.
a haiku by Erik Ammon
Well, okay, it’s haiku format, but not an official haiku. It’s not about nature :)
So, my question for you all to ponder, and feel free to comment, what’s your “Why?”
Did someone say goals?
Okay, it’s not a goal- it’s Alyssa Naeher, Team USA Keeper making a diving save- my daughter’s a Keeper, so this is in here for her!
So, what now? My break is over, I’m back at it- whatever it is.
I printed out a couple stories to edit, and have another story I’m working on for an anthology submission. But what are my priorities? Well, I guess those are my goals...
1. Getting a third manuscript submission ready. That mean I have two! I used to send out stuff as soon as I wrote it and looked it over once or twice (YIKES!). I thought my stuff was awesome! Now, I cringe at the thought. To think that I have two I know are ready to go is hard to fathom. Hopefully, though, no one remembers my name from the stuff I used to send.
2. Wait. That’s the next goal. I have the manuscript out with seven agents (already got two no responses) and a list of nine other agents to go. I will search for more agents to send to as well. So, I guess this ‘wait’ goal means to research more agents to send out to, while waiting.
3. Write. What? Seriously? Isn’t that what I’ve been doing the past five years???? Ok, I guess. Write more. I’ve got that file of ideas, so, why not look for the next story or two to write? Practice, practice, practice (Yes, A.I., I’m talkin’ ‘bout practice).
4. Wait. Wait you just said that. I know and now you’re talking to yourself and people will think you’re nuts. I’m not nuts, you’re nuts! Fine, whatever. Just wait. Fine.
So, I guess, outside of that bit of insanity, that’s my short and long list of goals, mixed with a lot of waiting.
What’re your goals?