We interrupt this regularly scheduled day off . . .
Mar 15, 2011 
I know I don’t usually post on Tuesdays (minus that week I thought is was 2012), but I wanted to let you know that I’m over at Chris Phillips’ blog today doing a guest post for his “Music To Make Write To” feature.
If you haven’t seen it, he invites different bloggers to share the music that inspires them in their writing. You should definitely check it out (and not just because I’m the featured blogger today). 😉
**And a heads up for a week of fun and silliness starting March. 28th. Vicki over at Rambles and Randomness and I are planning daily prizes, easy entries and lots of fun to celebrate our 1 year mark together. Hard to believe we’ve been at it this long!
What is Your Platform?
A little over a year ago I discovered the writing blogosphere. I was amazed at the wealth of information and at the giving nature of all these folks. For months I simply visited blogs, until I decided I was ready to jump in with two feet and start a blog of my own.
Deciding was the easy part. But when I sat down to plan it out, I realized I had no idea what to blog about. I was in awe with these bloggers who made it look so easy. Topic upon topic related to writing; funny vignettes from their lives; serious ponderings about their frustrations. Blogs where you could get your work critiqued. Blogs that offered marketing advice. Blogs that gave information about agents. Blogs that interviewed agents. Blogs that gave grammar instructions. Blogs that focused on Asian settings.
It seemed everyone in the blogosphere knew their place and their platform, and how could I enter that? What could I possibly add? It was definitely intimidating. But I had decided to try, so there we were.
I looked at my background to find my strengths, but I decided that few people had need of French translation services (though if you ever do, feel free to ask away!); and having done the English professor stint, I initially dabbled in the mockery of grammar, but I got tired of it.
I’m sure you’re waiting for a point right about now, but the thing is, I’ve been doing this writing blog for almost a year now, and I still am not sure I’ve found my platform. I still wonder what I should blog about more often than not (because you can only do so many posts on license plates).
So this is what I wanted to ask: Do you have a platform for your blog? Do you know what you are trying to convey to your readers? How did you get there? And what keeps you coming back to a blog?
Maybe one of these years I’ll figure it out!
**As I’m nearing my year mark, another blogger and I have a week of fun and silliness planned from Mar. 28 to April 1. Lots of prizes, easy entries, and a big grand prize you won’t want to miss!
Forming Critique Groups
Since I first joined a critique group over 6 years ago, my writing has improved immensely! For anyone who’s serious about writing, I highly recommend finding one. Not always so easy, though.
Last week I got into an e-mail discussion with Colene Murphy about how our critique groups work and how we met them (and if you don’t already know her, you should totally click the link and become acquainted . . . she’s a lot of fun!). With her permission, I’m going to share some of our discussion.
How We Met Our Groups
Colene met her group through blogging. She said, “We all connected right around the same time when we started up, we all got close quickly, then we figured out we all wrote YA fantasy. Just clicked!”
I met my current group through the SCBWI Yahoo group for my area. I sent out an e-mail saying I was new to the area and wondered if there were any groups who met near me. One contacted me, inviting me to meet with them and the rest is history.
How We Critique
Because they don’t live near each other, Colene meets with her group on Skype once a week, and they take turns submitting 50 pages at a time. She said, “We usually spend about 2 hours on the 50 pages. We go through a chapter at a time and bring up things we think really need to be discussed and ask questions where we need an answer on something. Grammar and little things we don’t mention just because it would take so long.”
In my group, everyone can submit up to 10 pages every Sunday. We have a week to return our comments via e-mail (we use the “Track Changes” feature of Word). Once a month we meet in person, where we can discuss not only that week’s submission, but any other larger concerns we may have. We comment on things from grammar to pacing to plot. Whatever strikes us as we read.
What I Learned
1. If you are ready to find critique partners, there are a lot of ways to do so.
- Look for other bloggers who write in a similar genre and contact them.
- Join a national or local writing organization such as SCBWI, RWA, HWKT (shout out to my friends in Kansas City!). They usually will have methods in place to hook you up with other writers in your area.
- Join some writer’s forums such as AbsoluteWrite, QueryTracker, or Verla Kay’s. QueryTracker, for example has a forum titled “Critique Group Central” where you can seek out others. On this same vein, I was recently contacted by someone who had seen my query that I posted. Their book was similar, so they e-mailed me and asked if I would be willing to exchange work. I was totally up for it.
Point is, there are a lot of ways to meet potential critique partners. It may not always work out, but you never know if you don’t try.
2. Make sure you find a critique method that works for you.
- Know how much critiquing you are willing to do. Exchanging 50 pages every week might be too much for you. Only ten pages might not be enough. I actually belong to a critique group via e-mail that only exchanges a chapter a month. For some that is enough. For others it’s not.
- Know what kind of critiquing you want. Are you interested in line-edits? Or would you prefer overall comments of what’s not working in the plot? Do you want to receive chapters before you meet? Or would it help you more to read your work out loud once you get there?
- Know how you prefer to receive comments. Do you do best in person? Or would you prefer the impersonal nature of e-mail exchanges?
In short, know what you want to gain from your critique partners, and know what you’re willing to give to them. And if you find that a particular group isn’t working for you, you always have the option of gracefully backing out and seeking a new one.
If you are in a group, I’d love to hear how you connected with them and how your group works. So many ways to do it!
If you are looking for a group, or even a single critique partner, please feel free to give a shout-out in the comments. Be sure to mention what genre you write and perhaps the best way to contact you for those who may be interested. Who knows? Perhaps you may find that perfect CP!
Or if you prefer more anonymity, contact me (via my handy-dandy “Contact Me” tab), and I’ll do what I can to connect those with common interests. 🙂
People Watching (via license plates?)
I’ve got cars on my mind this month. Everywhere I go, I see clever personalized plates, and I have to share a few. It’s fascinating to see what people want to share about themselves to strangers.
MEEOW4 (Think this person has a thing for cats?)
HUGGGS (Lenny, I thought of you)
AWSUM1 (Loads of self-confidence here)
2SLFSH (Proud of their flaws? But hey, at least they’re self-aware!)
PAIRDOX (I could read this two ways . . . They own two doxen’s, OR they are a clever English major and it means ‘paradox.’ What do you think?)
MS ROBO (Is this kind of like the Stepford Wives?)
STYXCHK (A girl who likes the band Styx)
SHAMROQ (I’m betting this person is originally from Ireland)
RED BUG (I thought about doing the guess the car with this, but yeah)
However, here’s a license plate where I’d love to hear your guesses. It totally made me giggle. 😀 So give me the make, model and color, and the person with the most correct information wins their favorite candy bar:
(I’ll give you a hint. Google a picture of Z06 if you don’t know what one is.) And if you haven’t voted on the latest This vs. That poll, I’d love it if you did! 😉
The Fabulous Blogosphere
We are part of a fabulous blogosphere. So many great people out there who are so generous with their time and resources. I just wanted to tell a few people in blog land thanks:
I won a beautiful wooden box from Vicki over at The Ron Empire Wants You! (She’s one of my wonderful CP’s who writes beautifully!) So, thank you!
I won a signed copy of The Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead from Tracy over at Forever Endeavor. I have five books to read before I can use it, but I’ve heard great things about it and am very excited. Thank you!
I won a $10 giftcard for Amazon from Racquel Henry over at Racquel Writes. She is pretty amazing, co-founding and co-editing her own magazine, The Black Fox Literary Magazine. Thank you!
Finally, I wanted to thank Martina and Lisa over at Adventures in Children’s Publishing who are hosting a First Five Pages Workshop. I was able to sneak in as one of the five entries for this round. Another round will be starting on March 12. Their critiques are so thorough! Definitely worth it. So if you care to, feel free to read the entries (I’m #3, wink, wink). And thank you, thank you!
Hope you all have a great Monday! And I hope you find someone to thank for something. 🙂
Blog-fail and Cicada Killer Wasps
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you wake up and say, “Huh? It’s Friday? What happened to my week?!”
That’s me. Nothing bad going on. Just lots of distractions. In fact, did you notice I posted on Tuesday this week? Umm, yeah. I scheduled that for Wednesday March 1st. 😉
“What?” you ask. “Wasn’t Wednesday March 2nd?”
le sigh.
This isn’t the year 2012?
So since I completely forgot to post anything today, I’m going to break a rule and re-post one of my very first ever blog posts. I apologize for the length, but it’s a fast read. I promise. Hope you enjoy!
It was just a trip to the library:
30 minutes to get out of the house,
10 minutes there,
Then I was planning a leisurely 30 minutes to an hour choosing some books and movies, maybe reading one of them to the kids,
Then another 10 minute return trip.
Sounds so pleasant, doesn’t it?
Bad sign #1: Rain drops start falling the second we step out the door. I should have taken the hint, but no . . . we’re driving, I have an umbrella in the car . . . why should I let a little rain stop me?
So the kids jump in. Pop the car seat in, London buckles himself, but Brandt is our free spirit.
Me: Brandt, hurry and get in your car seat so we can get to the library.
Brandt: I don’t want to sit in that seat!
It starts to rain harder.
Me: You have to sit in that seat or we can’t go anywhere.
Brandt: I don’t want to sit in that seat!
It starts to pour.
Me: Please sit in that seat! Mama’s getting soaked!
Brandt: I don’t want to sit in that seat!
Me: AAAAAH! GET IN THAT SEAT NOW BEFORE ALL YOUR TRAINS GO TO TIME-OUT!
I’m soaked, Brandt’s crying, but the car is moving.
At the library, it’s raining pretty hard, so I pull out the umbrella, make London pinkie promise to share the umbrella with his brother and to wait right there while I get the stroller out.
Seriously, I looked the other way two seconds.
A quick search and I see them: the boys are having a total blast strolling through the parking lot, heads buried in the umbrella. After all, there are puddles to look down at. My heart stops, and I thank the heavens there are no cars or Child Services workers around.
Me: LONDON JOHNSON, GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT OR YOU WILL NOT GET TO CHOOSE A MOVIE!
sigh
The stroller’s out, I’m putting Khyah in. My two-year old tackles me.
Brandt: An ant! An ant! Mommy, save me!
Me: Silly boy, an ant can’t hurt . . .
Then I saw it. Not an ant. This was a Cicada Killer Wasp. Ever seen one? As long as my pointer finger. Striped like a bee. And they can apparently sting like one too. Eew!
London: [whimpering and holding the umbrella in front of him for protection] There’s two!
I noticed one crawl into a golf-ball-sized hole in the ground. Then I noticed all the other holes. There’s more than two! I wisely chose not to mention this to the kids.
Me: [struggling to keep my voice calm] Let’s hurry, boys!
I get Khyah in the stroller (sleeping sound as a rock), and usher the kids towards the entrance.
Brandt stops dead in his tracks behind the van.
Brandt: I need MY stroller.
Me: You’ll have to walk this time.
Brandt: I need my stroller!
Me: I’m sorry. I can only push one at a time.
Brandt: [at the top of his lungs] I NEED MY STROLLER!
Me: Let’s hurry before the bugs get us!
I know, low blow. I don’t usually like scare tactics, but eew! You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that it didn’t work anyway.
I start to walk and Brandt grabs onto the stroller, pulling back with all his might, screaming at the top of his lungs. Fortunately I am still stronger than my 2-year old, so I kept moving, dragging him along, and pointedly ignoring all the stares of the other patrons. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of entering before he had stopped screaming. Tile entry. Automatic second door. Very loud.
Brandt throws himself on the ground in a temper tantrum.
sigh
I’m starting to have second thoughts about this trip.
Me: Brandt! [in the most furious whisper I could muster] If you don’t stop screaming this instant we won’t choose any movies!
Amazingly, he stood up and stopped crying, but Murphy was not done yet: Khyah started crying. I still wonder how babies can cry so loudly.
Me: Let’s just return the books and go!
We rush to the book return, dump them in, and before I can make it out, London heads to the movies with Brandt in tow
I really should have insisted. But with the stroller moving, Khyah had stopped crying, and I thought, “Surely the worst is behind us. And we’re here . . .”
The library has a plethora of Thomas movies, and London is glibly looking at every one. Knowing Khyah won’t last long, I suggested one, which Brandt gladly took.
London: I wanted that one!
Brandt: [pulling the DVD in tight] Me have that one!
Me: Brandt already has it, so choose a different one.
London: But I want that one!
Me: If Brandt chooses it, you’ll get to see it too.
London: But I want to carry that one!
His voice is getting dangerously loud.
Me: Oh! Look at that! “The Best of Gordon”!
Brandt: Okay, London can have this.
He tosses the movie at London and snatches up Gordon.
Grab a few books on the way to the check-out, and we’re almost home free. London goes running toward the door . . . right through the unchecked-out-books alarm.
I held my breath, waiting for the alarm. . . . It didn’t go off. Finally! Something goes my way.
Just as the books are all checked out, Khyah starts to cry. I turn the stroller around, and Brandt pushed me out of the way.
Brandt: I want to push the stroller!
Khyah is quite loud by now, so I scootched Brandt to the side and hurried to leave.
Brandt: [throwing himself on the ground. Again.] I WANT TO PUSH THE STROLLER!
Me: Brandt, hurry! Let’s go home and watch the movie!
I push the stroller through the exit
Brandt: I WANT TO PUSH THE STROLLER!
Me: Hurry kiddo! Let’s go.
Khyah: Waaaaah!
Alarm: WEEOH! WEEOH! WEEHO!
Librarian: Excuse me ma’am, could you back away from the exit?
Me: sigh
Librarian: [slightly annoyed] Did you check out your books?
Other librarian (who checked me out): [also slightly annoyed] Yes!
After a quick check of my bag, the librarian sighs.
Librarian: I guess it’s not you [sounding disappointed]. The alarm must be broken. It will go off, just keep going.
Believe me I did.
Ten minutes later, we arrive home. I struggle up the stairs with the car seat, diaper bag, purse, and bag of books (all while London complains about how heavy the movie he checked out is). Stumble inside, set everything down, and notice there’s a message.
We never get messages. No one calls us since we’re so new here. Yay!
Message: This is the Library calling. Do your children own a copy of Polar Express? We believe you returned it to us with your library books. Would you like to come and get it?
The Final Answers
No, this is not a post about Jeopardy. Alas, just the final answers to the comments from my Tabula Rasa post.
Raquel Byrnes asked: Who is your dream publisher? If you could chose who would do it…who would you want?
I know this isn’t what you were asking, but any publisher who loves my work would be my dream publisher. There are a lot of great publishers out there, small, medium and large, and they all have place in this industry for the different things they do. I simply hope to work with people who are excited by my book.
The Golden Eagle, another 2-question comment, asked first: What’s one thing about writing that, before you wrote, you never imagined would come up? (Presuming you haven’t been writing since, you know, birth.)
Hmmm . . . this is perhaps the hardest question I’ve gotten. But I think I never imagined learning about the body’s reaction to certain kinds of deaths or diseases. Fortunately I have my personal research assistant (aka my husband) to help me out with these. It’s pretty weird to ask him questions about how quickly a dead body gets rigor mortis (a couple of hours in case your interested . . . and after about 24 hours, the rigor mortis clears up. Not something you see in the movies, eh?).
And question #2: And, was it awesome to have your picture taken with Oscar?
I just have to say that Oscar was such a pleasure to work with at that photo shoot! He knows all the tricks like putting vaseline on your teeth (though he did suggest adding a drop or two of green food coloring since my teeth were “way too white” according to him). Very pleasurable photo shoot. 😀
And finally, Connie Arnold asked: Do your children give you much input about your writing?
My children are still young enough that they don’t exactly give input. But they do give A LOT of inspiration! I’ve written several pictures books (still in the editing stages) that were inspired directly by them. Children definitely spew idea-fodder all the time.
So there we are, I’ve finally answered all the questions I received. Thanks again for the questions and for stopping in!
Mystery Prize Revealed
The winner of my most recent License Plate Trivia contest, Stina Lindenblatt, chose the Mystery Prize. I wanted to make sure she got it before I did the big reveal, but it has arrived!
So are you ready? For those of you who don’t know, I love fairy tales. So when I found this, I was giddy with admiration for whoever thought of it. I knew I had to find a way to use it for my blog.
The Mystery Prize?
Stina has obligingly posted a couple of pictures on her blog, Seeing Creative. Plus, you get the total bonus that it was posted at the beginning of her Cool Links Friday post. Every week she compiles a list of all the best posts over the past week for people working on their writing craft. So while you’re there, check out her awesome blog or check out some of the great links she’s posted. You won’t regret it.
The Rubber Gloves
Have I ever mentioned how much I hate doing the dishes? Well I do. A lot.
And my aversion increased ten-fold when I recently got what’s called “Acute Dermatitis” on my hands. Really, that’s just a fancy way to say that washing the dishes makes my hands blister and crack and bleed. Not fun.
For a while, I left stacks of dishes for my husband to do when he got home from work. But I hated that and felt horribly guilty because he has so little free time anyway. In addition, it turns out that I hate a dirty kitchen worse than I hate doing the dishes. It was a rotten dilemma, because Acute Dermatitis really hurts. It seemed like I couldn’t win.
I was complaining to my mom, and she said, “Well why don’t you just go buy some rubber gloves?”
It was an “Aha! moment” for sure. The thought had never occurred to me. Never. But it was the perfect solution—well, almost. Hiring a maid would have been the perfect solution, but this was a pretty darn good one (and much more based on reality).
No more acute dermatitis. No more dirty kitchen. Granted, I still have to DO the dishes (which are never ending!), but the gloves are new enough that they’re like a fun little toy. 😉 I almost look forward to it. Almost.
So this story is a little like life (and writing novels). We run into problems that seem unsolvable. We can’t think of any good ways to get past them. We feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
But sometimes, all it takes is a willingness to look outside the box. Maybe they aren’t what we’d expect, but the solutions are there, ready to shock us with their simplicity.
When’s the last time you found an unexpectedly simple solution to a dire problem?
More Questions and More Answers
Next batch of questions. I’m sure you’ve been dying to hear my answers. 😉
Lydia K asked: What interesting bit of history about yourself would no one ever guess, the first time meeting you?
Okay, I had to beg my husband for help on this one. Just before I got married, I wrote a French screenplay for an introduction to a literacy manual (French), and while it was edited down by the director, it was actually filmed. I own a VHS copy of it. 🙂
Colene Murphy asked: What is your favorite go-to book?
Though I haven’t read it in a while, Robin McKinley’s Outlaws of Sherwood is definitely my favorite go-to book (there are, of course, others). I had a big-time crush on Robin Hood when I was a teenager. We won’t mention the life-size poster of Kevin Costner as Robin Hood. But in my defense, it was a gift—I couldn’t very well turn it down! 😉
Christina Lee asked: Do you believe in Tabula Rasa?
Excellent question! After having kids, I absolutely do NOT believe in Tabula Rasa. BUT I love the idea of it, especially when I’m starting a new book.
Melissa asked: What’s your favorite book?
This is perhaps one of the hardest questions I know of. There are too many books I like to play favorites. When I was little, I would have said “Anything by L.M. Montgomery.” Then a little older, “Anything by Robin McKinley.” Then, “Anything by Jane Austen.” Yes, I’m an author reader. If I find an author I like, I devour everything they wrote. But I digress.
Perhaps it’s a cop-out, but here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):
- Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale
- Pat of Silver Bush, by L.M. Montgomery
- Beauty, by Robin McKinley
- Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine
- Harry Potter (all of them . . . though I felt book 5 wasn’t quite as good as the others), by J.K . . . (Okay, it just feels silly to write the author here . . . it almost goes without saying)
Okay, I’ll end here, but I think one more post should do it. 🙂