Plan of Action

Writing and editing all my WIPs is going so well right now! Maybe it’s those extra hours during summer Fridays that are making all the difference. J Here’s what’s going on now and what will happen in the near future:

My best friend just gave me wonderful notes for my WIP The Rose of Coracus. I’m going to do another thorough rewrite this month, focusing on making Shayna a more dimensional character and her relationship with Johnathan more romantic yet realistic. And editing and adding and changing a million other little things. Heather’s notes were fantastic and gave me the direction I needed, so June is rewrite month.  It’s a tough goal, but goals are good (see this great post). One week down, three to go! And then I will be finished and submit query letters to agents by July 5^th. It’s the plan and I’m sticking to it!

My next WIP, Dueling Princesses, will be put on the burner until July, but after that I will be writing lots and lots. I’ve found two critique partners to work with, who will hopefully read the manuscript in small batches and help form the story as I go along. I’m looking forward to working on that!

So there you have it; my summer writing plans. I’m excited!

Rewards

Today is YA Highway’s Road Trip Wednesday! The question is: How do you reward yourself when you meet your writing goals? Answer for big goals (i.e. I will buy a Lear jet when I get published) and/or small goals (I eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's in one sitting when I finish each chapter).

This is a great question!

Small goals (like finishing a chapter): When I was working on The Rose of Coracus in college, I had two built-in rewards for working hard and doing a good job. First, the praise and constructive criticism of my classmates. Two, a good grade. Now when I’m writing on my own I’m missing those rewards. I’ve tried to solve the first by searching for a critique partner but I have nothing that equals the second type of reward. Perhaps that’s what I need to get writing more! I really look forward to reading how others reward themselves!

Big goals (like getting published): Assuming I get a modest two-book deal, I would reward myself by putting 1/3 immediately in savings, using 1/3 to pay back my student loans, and then the last third would be spent on an odd combination of frivolous and practical: a clothing shopping spree, a gym membership, an extravagant vacation (I’m leaning towards Australia, New Zealand and some South Pacific islands…), a new pair of glasses I might actually wear, a SCBWI membership. Even if I got a bigger book deal, the majority would go into savings: looking into my not-so-distant future, I have a lot of big things coming my way in the next five or ten years (A wedding! A house! A baby! Two baby?)…. Although, obviously, getting a book published and seeing it in stores and knowing others are reading (and hopefully loving!) it would be more than enough reward for all the hard work and revisions that went into that manuscript.   

Whether finishing a chapter or an entire novel, getting an agent or getting published, rewarding yourself for hard work is important! I kind of forgot about that in the day-to-day in terms of word counts and plot outlines, so this reminder is nice. I look forward to seeing how other writers handle this!

Critique Partner Calling

Guess what? (You say: “What?”) I’ve actually been writing! Not as much as I’d like, but little by little the word count of my new WIP, Dueling Princesses, is increasing. I already knew the world in which I’m writing (it’s the same setting for The Rose of Coracus) but now I’m getting a feel for the characters, what they want and what is going to happen in the story. Last weekend I even dreamt about my story!

Now that I’ve gotten into a writing pattern again and have learned to better manage my limited free time, I’ve realized another stumbling block that I need to overcome. I need feedback. I need someone to tell me what’s working and what’s not. I need someone to suggest a brilliant scene or tell me that my favorite character actually is annoying. Someone who can provide me with constructive, detailed, editorial feedback.

When I was writing The Rose of Coracus as my senior project at Hamilton, I had to turn in 10-25 pages every other week for my classmates and professor to read and critique. I always turned in at least 25 pages…often more, much to my busy classmates’ chagrin. But also because of them. They gave such enthusiastic and constructive feedback that after class I wanted to write more. I wanted to follow up on their comments and rewrite and revise and make my manuscript better than ever. For them, my readers. Getting feedback in small segments worked wonderfully for me.

So here’s the deal: I’m looking for a critique partner/beta reader. Early last month Maggie Stiefvater offered a “Critique Partner Love Connection” on her blog. I wasn’t ready with my new manuscript at that point to participate, but the idea is great so I’m posting my own call for a critique partner here. The nitty-gritty: I write YA fantasy. I am knowledgeable about the publishing industry. I have a degree in creative writing. I am serious about getting published. I would like to work on a firm (but negotiable) schedule. The ideal critique partner I’m looking for has a similar background.

Writing is not as solitary as some would believe. The best kind of writing comes from collaboration, suggestions and feedback. I hope someone (you?) wants to provide that for me!