Filed under Publishing …

Nov 17 2011
Publishing, The Poppet and the Lune

Happy Half Birthday TPaL!

The Patchwork Girl

A sketch from the original TPaL manuscript

 

Six months ago, today, was the official release of my first (and only, so far) independently published novel, The Poppet and the Lune. Far from its roots as a free weekly web serial, the story has been polished and primped, the words carefully wrapped and transformed, into A Real Book.

When I began to write and post the story of the patchwork girl and Faolin, I had only one thing in mind: I wanted to tell a good story, simply for the fact that that is what I love to do. At the time, and even not until recently, I did not realize how much this act would mean to me. When the web serial was “launched,” quietly, in the middle of the night, halfway around the world where I was studying abroad in Oxford, I was embarking on my own journey. More than just the incredible challenge of providing reliable quality content two or three times a week–I was putting myself out there, to a world that had yet to vet my skills. I was something of a big fish in a small pond called Buffalo, leaping into the ocean called The Internet.

I was in new territory, literally and figuratively. Writing TPaL was unlike anything I have ever experienced, and all the while I was in a country that was not my own, meeting new people, seeing new and far off places. I was discovering how self-reliant I could be, how unexpectedly brave.

Like the patchwork girl, I was, and I am, learning. I am made from the pieces of those who have come before, as we all are to some extent.  I have my mother’s tenacity, and my father’s serenity; my generation’s academic/economic frustration, but my peers’ unflappable hope. We have all the history and advances of the world behind us, rising up like an ocean’s wave to propel us forward on our travels–if we don’t let it overcome us. The key is, we must make all of those pieces come together as one, and claim them for ourselves.

On this half-birthday, I want to take the opporunity to thank those of you out there who have helped me get to where I am. These past six months, I have recgognized how tremendously fortunate I am, and not just because my friends and loved ones support me. I am fortunate because I am surrounded by people who are constantly rising victorious from the tumult of life. Like Faolin, I am in awe of these people who seem so brave, so fearless. They inspire me to bravery, to face a world and a career that is uncertain. Even in their moments of weakness they are an inspiration, because they remind me that we are actually very much alike.

And to everyone who has taken the time to read The Poppet and the Lune, and who has helped spread the word, or left a review, or pointed out a typo on page 2, or helped me choose the best cover, or long ago commented on the web serial asking what happens next?! Every single one of you has helped make these past six months (and the year before that) an incredible journey.

Thank you, all of you.

Tagged , , ,
Nov 11 2011
Publishing

What I Learned at the Backspace Writers Conference, Part 2: Voice and Subjectivity

Whoa, okay, so a whole work week has passed and I haven’t given you much to take home. So let’s talk about a some big ones!

Voice

Repeatedly throughout the conference, agents talked about the importance of voice. Many people are starting to say that having a unique voice is what defines this generation of literature and authors, so consider yourself a part of history! Decades from now, the voice you write with today might stand out as an example of “classic traits of early 21st century literature.”

So what is voice? Well, you just kind of know it when you see it. Loosely defined, “voice” in creative writing is two things:

  • the author’s own style or quality that makes his/her writing unique, and somewhat conveys his/her attitude and personality
  • the characteristics of the narrator’s speech and thought patterns

 

My most recent favorite example of a unique and powerful voice is in the YA Chaos Walking trilogy (The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men) by Patrick Ness. The main character and primary narrator, Todd Hewitt, has such an incredibly distinct and engaging voice as a 14-year-old living in a new world, introducing us to Noise and Spackle and talking animals… but none of it is cheap. None of it is caricature–it’s real, and immediate, and distinct. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend that you do.

What I learned at the conference was that fresh, original, distinct voices are what will ultimately hook an agent (and your readers) on your book. Many times people have said “start your book with a gripping first line and never let go!” meaning, start with action. That’s something I’ve struggled with, maybe because I studied media and film in college where storytelling happens a bit differently. But I like the film approach: first you show the city, then you show the street, then you see the kids playing on the lawn, then you see the faces of your characters. That’s what draws me into a story, more than any flashing knife or shocking dialogue. And that kind of approach, in literature, requires a solid, captivating voice. A voice lasts throughout the entire story–a shocking first sentence will never be more than the first sentence. And in all likelihood, the first sentence will change before your book is published anyway.

That’s just my opinion of course, which leads me to…

Subjectivity

This is huge. How you write, and how you read, are very personal processes. 

It’s important to keep in mind that the tastes of editors and agents are as varied as the tastes of all the readers out there. Just because they’re in The Business doesn’t mean they love all/only bestsellers, and in fact some of their favorite books may not be very well known. Some of them love fantasy, other’s can’t stand to read another query with the words “demons” or “magic” in the body (as I was told specifically). Many of them say “NO MORE VAMPIRES,” but then the one person I spoke with at the conference who was writing a vampire story got a full manuscript request from a top ranking agency.

I hope I don’t have to tell you all that you’ve got to research the agents before you query, at least find out what kind of books they like to read, or books they have recently sold. But even within the same genre, the tastes of the agents will vary.

For example: like I said above, a lot of people will tell you to begin a book with action, or some kind of shocking first sentence that yanks the reader into your book. As far as agents are concerned? Yes, a lot of them are looking for the strong pull of the first sentence that makes you go “wait, what? Tell me more!”

But the thing about that first sentence is that you have to deliver. If you begin a chapter with “The squirrels attack the second I step off the school bus,” you have to make the next few paragraphs equally as interesting, but also not totally confusing. So a lot of agents prefer to read manuscripts that draw you in and keep you there, rather than manuscripts that toss you in and shove you forward.

It’s up to you how you choose to begin, but keep in mind that ultimately it’s the quality of every single paragraph in your story that matters, not just that first hook that reels them in. If you reel them in just to toss them out, the hook is pointless. So don’t fret too long and hard over the first sentence. (ProTip: If you are struggling with it, try using your second sentence, or second paragraph, as your beginning. Sometimes you just take a minute to warm up!) 

So, you never know. Definitely do your research before querying but don’t get down on yourself if you get a lot of “not a good fit” rejections, because it’s probably true. And you want an agent that is a good fit.

More to come next week!

 

Tagged , , , ,
Nov 07 2011
Publishing, Uncategorized

Falling into Place – or, What I Learned at the Backspace Writers Conference, Part 1

I’m back from NYC! And better than ever! Seriously!

I had such an amazing time at the Backspace Writers Conference, even though half the time my heart was hammering around in my throat and at certain points I actually worried I was going to pass out (there was public speaking involved, and I feared it greatly). But I learned so much. Not necessarily anything terribly new, but just being there and in that atmosphere, saturated with professionalism and stubborn hope and cold reality… all the things I learned in the past that had been floating around in my head as general knowledge? They finally seemed to click.

I don’t know what it was, because in all honesty I didn’t hear anything new at the conference–I just heard it differently. The difference, I suppose, was that I wasn’t just reading it on a blog somewhere. I was seeing it in action, hearing it live from the mouths of agents, editors, authors. It was more real, more immediate.

On top of that, I had the priceless experience of having my intuition validated on a plethora of topics regarding my own writing and query letter, and the way I’ve felt and seen that the industry works. After this workshop (which I was actually led to by my intuition), I trust my own instincts now more than ever, and will never ignore that nagging little voice in my head, or the awkward feeling I get at points when I read over something “almost there.” Sure, it might technically work, but does it work? (Or werk, if you’re sassy)

But there were a lot of good, concrete points I came home with (furiously scribbled on hotel stationary and all over my writing samples). This week on the blog, I’ll be sharing the revelations I felt were most significant, and some tips on how to make the best of future Backspace conferences.

Stay tuned!

Oct 18 2011
Publishing

Re-start

 So you may have noticed a change in the name and layout of the blog. I decided to get back to the roots and original point of it: this blog is supposed to capture my journey as an author, the ups and downs, the lessons learned, the way my life changes and re-forms as I pursue a career in publishing.

I mentioned a while back that I might not be updating here very often any more, but I think that if I go back to these roots–and my own personal roots–it isn’t so. I want to capture this journey, the highs and the lows. I haven’t been faithful to that desire, because I have worried about the face I present to the public at large (if I admit I don’ t know what I’m doing, won’t people think I’m stupid? etc.). But I remembered, recently, “all the f**ks I do not give,” to quote a currently popular meme. So getting back to basics here, I kind of want to re-start–to reintroduce myself and where I’m at in all of this.

So: my name is Madeline. I’ve been a storyteller forever, and a writer since I was old enough to hold a crayon. I’ve been writing novels since I was 11, and trying to get novels published since I was 20. This past winter, I finally decided to take back the reigns of my writing career and stop waiting around for other people to approve of the marketability of my work. Using all that the internet and my experience and education had to offer me, I self published my novel The Poppet and the Lune, an original fairytale about a patchwork girl and a boy who cried wolf. It has magic and adventure and danger and love, and all the good things a fairytale should have.

I haven’t been “successful” as a self published author in the way you may look for evidence of success. I haven’t broken the top 10,000 on Amazon in any category, on any list. Most people have no idea my book exists, because marketing for me has been a great challenge (I work full time and have little to no access to the internet/social networking during that time, except on good days when the boss is gone and phone reception exists). But, of the few hundred people who I have reached, not a single one has given me a bad review.

In fact, all of my reviews have been quite glowing. Pretty flattering, actually.

I sell a small average of books every month, but that’s okay. I’m working on the marketing side, and hoping it picks up steam. But in the meantime, I’m also trying to put out more content. Still, I’m a slow writer–I’ve come to accept that I probably can’t write, edit, revise, and publish a whole novel in under a year, especially given the fact that my novels tend to be between 80,000-150,000 words.

I have not given up on traditional publishing. However, I have raised my standards about what I’ll accept when the opportunity comes around. When I’m done with my current WIP I’ll be submitting it to the agents that I like best after some thorough research. If they decline, then I’ll self publish it. Simple. I’m not in this for fame and glory and money, even though I would like to make a living from telling stories. I do not write to make my stories sell the most, or appeal to the largest audience. I write because I love it, and because I’m driven to write, and because if I don’t I fall apart inside and out.

Personal things I know I need to work on:

  • consistent content (here, tumblr, etc.)
  • marketing without shame
  • creativity in marketing

Current published work:

 

So that is me, and where I’m at as an author and in my publishing career. Nice to meet you!

I’m looking forward to this new blog beginning ;)

Jan 08 2011
1 Comment
Publishing

Hello!

Welcome to my new blog. This used to be the site for my weekly web serial, “The Poppet and the Lune” (which you can read more about at the link to the right), but since I finished it last October I’ve taken the draft down while I’m querying agents and publishers. I’ll be using this new blog as a place where I can talk about writing and the publication process, as well as share some of my personal thoughts and feelings on the subject.

As far as the publication process goes… “The Poppet and the Lune,” or “TPaL” as I call it, was submitted to six literary agents this past week. Submitting to agents is a huge pain in the ass, no matter how great of a writer you are, and I’ll be making a post about that in the coming week, but in the meantime I wanted to share the already fun news I do have:

I got a partial request! :D

Yay and happiness and hurredly rushing to put together the requested materials!

While this is my first partial request for TPaL, it’s not my first partial request as a writer. No, years ago when I first began to submit my work I got so far as a full manuscript request for an old novel called “The Sins of the Guardians,” but unfortunately it didn’t go beyond that. While I still consider every bit of motion forward a worthy cause for celebration (at least you know you wrote a good query letter, eh?), it is by no means the end of my search for a literary agent.

Still, practicality aside, I’m just enjoying the moment. I have three more agents I’m waiting to hear back from (already got one pass, and one automated “we’re no longer accepting unsolicited query letters”), and a whole crap load more that I can submit to after them.

This part of the publication process, arguably the first step aside from actually writing the manuscript, can make or break a writer. I’ve had my moments of despair, as I know many others have had. But this time I feel confident that, regardless of how many rejections and passes I get in my inbox, I’ll still love my manuscript, and I will not despair.

Probably because I’m okay with self publishing, if it comes down to it :p

So, the materials are sent, and this blog is now live, and the site will be tweaked periodically until I get it just so. And, in case you were wondering, the background image is an etching I commissioned to be used potentially in the book cover for “The Poppet and the Lune.”

Have a great weekend!