What’s Up Wednesday
Happy Wednesday! It’s time for our weekly check-in on what’s happening, hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. If you want to know how to be a part of What’s Up Wednesday, and visit other participants, see their blogs.
What I’m Reading
I finished THE STAND by Stephen King, but that’s as much as I’ll say since I’ll be posting a review here tomorrow. This means I can now read CRESS… but… I think I’m going to test my patience further. You see, I have had this book sitting on my desk for the past week or so called THE LOST PLANET by Rachel Searles. It’s a middle grade novel, and the cover artwork is so good… I think I’m going to let it cut in ahead of CRESS (shocking, I know). Honestly, these days it’s not often I pick up a book and just stare at the cover saying “Wow.” But I’ve decided that if my novel ever sees publication, I’m going to ask if we can get Jason Chan to do the cover art. I’d love to see what he would come up with–whatever, I’m sure it’d be awesome. I’ve posted a picture of the cover to the side there, but trust me, that doesn’t do it justice. You want to get along to a bookstore and hold the thing in your hands. It’s a beautiful piece of art. Maybe by next week I’ll have quit staring at the cover long enough to tell you how good the book is! (If you want to know more about the book, click on the picture to go to its Goodreads page.)
What I’m Writing
My novel is currently in the hands of my Beta Readers (A.K.A. Team Awesome). I’m feeling incredibly blessed to have these six busy people take time out of their own writing schedules to comment on and critique my work. I know this book will be so much better as a result. In the meantime, I’m working on a short story, and I’m also working on flash fiction for the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge in April. Oh, and I wrote a piece of flash fiction for the YA Buccaneers “Walk the Plank” challenge–I posted that on Friday. This challenge was harder than most since the theme is “love” and I don’t write romance. But it was fun nevertheless.
What Inspires Me Right Now
Beautiful cover art, wonderful Beta Readers, and lots of stories yet to be told, but on the tip of my tongue…
What Else I’ve Been Up To
As the time to query draws closer, I’m paying attention more to agent blogs, agent tweets, and making note of agents who are looking for novels like mine. It’s been a few years since I’ve been in this place, and it’s exciting. I don’t know why, and it goes against my socially awkward predisposition, but I really get a kick out of the Beta Reader and agent-hunting process. I should be cowering in a corner at the prospect of putting myself out there like that… but I’m not. Even if the critiques are harsh, and the rejections flood the house like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts letters, I still relish the opportunity to have other people read my stuff. It’s why I write it, after all.
How’s your week been?
Good luck with your A to Z flash fiction! I’ve always wanted to do that, but I think I would struggle coming up with the words for the letters. I’ve gone with a different theme instead 🙂
Thanks, Laura. I’m enjoying thinking up ideas–sometimes pulling out a word and writing a story around it, or pulling out a story and trying to find an appropriate letter word to fit. Either way works. 🙂
Colin, I love your outlook on querying and getting feedback in general. It’s all so scary and intimidating, but you’re totally right: Most of us write so people will read our work. It’s exciting! I’ll definitely be checking back for your review of THE STAND tomorrow. I’m curious, and still trying to decide which King novel I’m going to read for my 30 Before 35. Hope you have a wonderful week, sir!
Thank you, Katy! I figure, if you’re serious about being a published writer, you have to get used to the idea of other people reading your work, AND the idea that they won’t always like it. I hope my review of THE STAND is helpful to you. Bear in mind, the man’s written some 50-odd books, so I’m sure there’s something for you! 🙂
I find getting critiques/querying equally fun and terrifying, like the idea of people reading my work! But it’s why we write, after all! 🙂
Have a great week!
Absolutely, Emma! You have a great week, too. 🙂
I know exactly how you feel about the querying process. The first time I did it, before I really had any idea what a query was, I was dejected about being rejected (yes I intentionally rhymed, I couldn’t resist). But the last time I did it, after I’d been following the industry for awhile and after I actually decided to get some beta readers, I enjoyed the process. It didn’t win me an agent, but I got really great feedback and learned a lot.
Nothing came of my querying the last time I did it, but I, too, learned a lot from it. This is why I’m so glad to have a great team of Beta Readers, and I’m making sure the novel is as good as it can be before sending it out.
No more rhyming now, I mean it!
Anybody want a peanut? 😉
I’m not a huge MG reader, but I have noticed that cover while walking through the bookstore a few times. I’ll be interested to hear if the book is as captivating.
Good luck with your betas and approaching query process. I have a blog post about being a writing in today’s shifting publication market planned for this Friday. If you get a chance, you should pop over and read it, since your are currently right in the middle of all this. Exciting times!
Have a great week!
I’m not a huge MG reader anyway, but I do have an MG novel idea, so I need to read some MG at least to get a feel for the tone and sensibility of MG. And the cover… *sigh*. I actually won the book, and I intended to read it before I really paid attention to the cover. I just love the detail, and the way the characters sit on that border between realism and cartoon–like the Pixar characters.
Thanks for your well-wishes! These are exciting times for writers, with so many options. I will say, I have made a conscious choice to go the traditional route, but it’s more to do with my time and resources than it is anything about self-publishing.
You’ve got great timing when it comes to stepping into the query trenches. Hope you’re keeping an eye on #MSWL!
I have been keeping an eye on #MSWL today, and I’ve seen a few tweets that have made me think “hmmm… I’ll be querying you!” 🙂
That is one awesome cover!
Oh, I know your beta-readers will love your ms!
Have a great week!
Thanks, Juliana! I certainly hope the love it–not so much that they won’t offer critiques, though! I’m sure it’s not perfect.
Cover art is definitely inspiring. I’m glad you got your WIP to beta readers! That’s so exciting. One step closer to querying and *hopefully* landing an agent 🙂 Are you checking out #MSWL today to research agents? It’s a great tag and so addicting!
Thank you, Prerna. Yes, I’ve been keeping an eye on #MSWL today, and it has encouraged me to see that there are agents who might be interested in my novel. It’ll be a little while yet before I’m querying, but I’m starting to make lists. 🙂
That is a pretty cool cover. If I could get away it I’d totally go for a 1950s horror poster cover. Cheesy and retro but so much more interesting than a girl’s face on a black background.
Yes–I think that style would make an awesome horror novel cover! I hope you get the opportunity to suggest that when the time comes, Robin. 🙂
Awesome that your story is with beta readers! You’re that much closer to querying this story, which is fantastic. It is definitely scary to put your work out there, but also so, so validating. It really makes it feel real, and the feedback is invaluable. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: I’m amazed that you’re doing flash fiction for the A-Z Challenge. Amazed. I can’t even seem to get around to working on my WiP consistently. I can’t imagine writing this many pieces of flash fiction. Best of luck with that! Have a great week, Colin!
Thank you, Jaime! I’m keeping the flash fiction to 100 words for a couple of reasons: a) to amp up the challenge; b) as an homage to Janet Reid’s writing contests; c) to keep the stories short so visitors are more likely to read them and come back. And 26 x 100 = 2600 words. That shouldn’t be hard to write, should it? 🙂
Good for you for not cowering in the corner! I love getting comments back from beta readers, even the harsh ones, because I know that means I have work to do and I only want to make my writing better.
That cover is intriguing.
That’s exactly how I feel. Even the harshest comments from trusted Readers are intended to make my novel better, so it’s all good.
Thanks, Melanie! 🙂
The more research you do, the better querying will go. That’s definitely one lesson I’ve picked up since my first go.
The Lost Planet does have awesome cover art. I may have to check it out ^_^
Have a lovely week, Colin!
If you haven’t, you must visit Jason Chan’s blog. His work really is top-notch. I would love to make use of him for my novel.
Have a wonderful week yourself, Cole!
That’s an excellent idea to be paying attention to agent/editor tweets and interviews. That’s how I found and fell in love with my agent.
It’s a lot of work, because there are so many agents out there, but it’s worth it to find the best person to represent you. Greenhouse is definitely on my list. 🙂
Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting!
I absolutely love your positive view on querying and agent-hunting and beta-reading. Feedback is always terrifying, and it’s always a little personal, so it can be very tough to see our work read through a more objective perspective. But I think it’s important to embrace this aspect of the writing/publishing process and focus on keeping it positive. If you don’t want to cower in the corner, don’t! Nothing says you must at this stage!
Good luck as you keep going forward from here.
You’re welcome, Bailey! Thanks for returning the visit. 🙂
And thank you for your comment. It’s really hard to stay positive, especially when you get negative feedback, or form rejections. But you have to keep your eyes on the goal, and take it all as character and craft development. It just makes you a better writer.
Thanks for visiting my blog 🙂 Research seems a good thing to do. I can’t wait till i get to that stage. Have a great week.
You’re welcome, Angel, and thanks. 🙂 There are so many agents out there, you really do need to research, and try to look for those who you think will love your work, and also those you think you’d get along with career-wise. This is where Twitter is a great tool. Some agents really come out of their shell on Twitter, and you get to see their personalities. That can be helpful in making your “top agents” list.
I can sense the excitement from this post now that you’re getting closer to querying, and you have a great attitude about it! Hope your Betas get back to you with lots of helpful feedback. 🙂
As for being seduced by book covers, I definitely know how that feels. I know better than to judge by the cover, but there are indeed quite a few books that I’ve let sway me by their covers. The one story I always tell is about Garth Nix’s Sabriel. I saw it in a book store and was struck by the illustration on the cover. There was no jacket copy, so when I bought it, it was pretty much just based on the cover. Lucky for me, it was amazing. Sabriel (and the whole Abhorsen trilogy) remains to this day one of my favorite YA fantasies.
And yes, Jason Chan’s artwork is gorgeous. I love how dynamic his illustrations are!
Thank you, Krispy! I’ve has SABRIEL on my TBR list for ages–I really need to get that.
It annoys me when publishers change cover art. Like they did with SHATTER ME. There wasn’t anything wrong (IMO) with the original cover, but they decided to go with the eye theme and changed it mid-series. Arggg! And sometimes they change covers I really like for ones that are not-so-great (again, IMO). Please, publishers! Go with a cover and stay with it!
That is a great view on querying. I’ve been through it off and on for years with various projects and even though it can be a very stressful process, it’s also strangely enjoyable. It’s an exciting time!
Thanks, Rachael. Querying is definitely stressful, exciting, and, also educational. You learn something, even if it’s only patience and developing a thick skin! 🙂
Wow, you’re doing flash fiction for the A to Z blogging challenge? That’s awesome!
Great attitude about querying and getting feedback! I love it. It’s so easy to get down in the pursuit of publication.
I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts about The Stand. I (re)read that book a couple years ago so it’s pretty fresh in my mind.
Thank you, Alessa! 🙂
Yes, I’m doing flash fiction for A-to-Z. I thought it was an awesome idea–we’ll see whether the execution is as awesome. 🙂 Are you doing A-to-Z too? If so, I’ll have to be sure to watch out for your posts.
Everyone inside publishing tells us how tough it is, so we really do need to develop a positive approach. We don’t need to be unrealistic, and there will be times when we’ll be disappointed and upset. But we have to know how to pick ourselves us, dust off, and move on.
Woo-hoo for Team Awesome! Beta readers are the best. That cover for The Lost Planet really does look awesome. They say not to judge a book by its cover but sometimes, it be can be a good thing! Have a great week, Colin!
Team Awesome is… awesome! 🙂 It is a great cover, and I think it does the job it needs to do: persuade you to open the book. I didn’t need persuading since I intended to read it anyway… but it certainly makes the book look great!
Thanks, Kitty–you have a great week too!