I'm not sure you're ready for this awesomeness...but I'll tell you anyway.
#1. My great friend and awesome CP has a book deal!!! You should feel super lucky right now because her story is fantastic. Yes, you have to wait until Fall 2014 but time flies, right? Want the awesomesauce from Shallee McArthur? Go to her blog right now to get details!
#2. Next piece of info? I get to go to my FIRST real, live, in-person conference!!! I'll be attending LDStorymakers in April and I'm so excited to expand my knowledge, finally meet some awesome friends, and make new writing acquaintances.
#3. Well...Christmas is in one week!!! Maybe you don't all celebrate, but we do. What better way to acknowledge the birth of our Savior and feel the spirit of his giving? In light of the season I want to wish you all a very safe and a very Merry Christmas!
~Michelle
I did it!!! I'm a NaNo winner. I reached 50,000 words on November 19th and then finished my book yesterday, November 25th! Final chapter count: 32. Final word count: 66,579. Final brain status: Fried!
But we love fried brains, right?
I absolutely love my story and my characters. Yes, it was a bit of a whirlwind, but it was a fun journey.
How has your month of writing been? Did you do NaNo or skip out this year?
Also, for those celebrating, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for, but for now I'll limit it to just a few things: God, my husband, my kids, my family, friends, talents, and the ability to stay positive in a negative situation. I'm not the best at that last one, but I'm thankful that even when I'm not, others still are. And of course, I'm thankful that even though I started writing later than most people, I'm happy I found my passion.
Happy writing!
Now to eat some turkey...nom, nom, nom.
Anyone else doing NaNo? This is, technically, my first time participating in NaNoWriMo. I've written books in a month before...just not in November. I mean, who has time?
Well, turns out. I do. Kind of. If I push everyone else away and decide I like crampy fingers, it works. By day 9 (last Saturday) I was at 30,000. I definitely think I've got the 50,000 in the bag...as long as nothing catastrophic happens. But my book won't be finished at 50,000. So the question now is, can I write the whole thing this month?
Considering the fact that I'm going on a week vacation for Thanksgiving, it might not happen. But if my family decides they're not up for nighttime fun and games, I might have a lot of time on my hands.
This might actually happen!
*Cue crampy fingers*
I'd better go. But happy NaNo! And if you aren't participating, I encourage you to try it sometime! It's a great challenge and a fun way to make a deadline.
My good friend, Kelley, asked me to write a post for her blog, Scribbleweed. To read about why I would or would not do NaNoWriMo...please visit her site and feel free to make a comment :)
Thanks!
Have a great week and happy writing.
Rejections. I know, lovely word, right? I'd say most, if not every, writer has been there. It's part of the process, but it doesn't have to be a negative thing. When an agent gets your query and you get a rejection, it's not about whether they are rejecting you. They don't even know you! It's just not a right fit.
Let's go shoe shopping for a minute. We walk into a shoe store, smell the leather and instantly start to browse. Right away you see a pair of alligator high tops with stiletto heals and...your lunch threatens to come back up. Someone else might like them--in fact, there's another shopper dying to buy a pair--but you know right away that they are not for you. Are you rejecting the person who designed them? No. They just aren't for you.
Right next to the alligator getup is a pair of bright red pumps. You like pumps. And you like red. But...this red is a little too, oh...fruit punch? You're more of a velvet cake type of red lover. So, you considered it, but after a short time you knew it just wasn't going to work. Rejection.
You abandon that shoe stand and meander to the back of the store where you find a pair of black flats, genuine leather, stiff soles. Right away you're interested. It fits your style, so you pick it up. They're not too heavy, not too light, the leather is smooth yet worn enough to know that it won't take too long to break in. In thirty seconds, you've found a chair, kicked off the oldies, and slipped on the flats. At first they seem to fit just perfect, but then you stand up. Three steps later, you know your toes are going to suffer and your ankles will need something short of physical therapy after extended wear. Rejection. Not instant, but in the end, they just weren't right for you.
You're about to give up, walk out, stop wearing shoes, but then you see the pink cowboy boots. Just the right mix of three parts red with one part white--yes, you like your pink a little dark. Your friends can't stand the shoes, but what do they know? The shoes are quite similar to something else you own, but different enough that you'd be an idiot not to consider them. Before you can even say cowb--they're on! And they feel just as good as they look. No, they are a hundred times better! You love them enough that you don't even take them off to purchase them. That's when you know you've found the right pair of shoes.
The others weren't bad. They might have been perfect for someone else...but they just weren't the right fit.
And that's the key. You want an agent the's a right fit just as much as they want a writer that's right for them. Rejection can be hard. But don't take it personally. You'd hate for an agent to pick you only to realize after a few days that maybe you weren't the right fit.
Do your homework and sale your shoes at the right store. Find the agent that's right for you. And if they like what you've created, they might not ever let you go :)
I can't go a single season without mentioning NBC's singing contest called The Voice. It relates so much to writer's querying agents! I love it :)
And on last night's episode, Christina Aguilera said something that really stood out to me. None of the four judges turned a chair for one of the contestants. And instead of the contestant getting mad and throwing a fit, they were really appreciative of the opportunity they had to go on the show.
Christina's response was,
"It's beautiful to have that attitude."
And it really is. Having a good attitude can never be a bad thing. Being positive can affect the world around you. Positive people are naturally beautiful because they look happy...and most likely, they are. When we're negative, it can pull us down in a well of self-doubt and can ultimately drown out our potential to do something great.
So...in the light of that quote. Be happy. You may not get your big break today, you may not get it in the next month, or even in the next year. But being positive can fuel you to learn more, be better, and forge your path to doing the best you can.
Happy writing!
PitMad is going on right now on twitter! Go post your 140 character pitch and cross your fingers for a request :)
For anyone coming from PitMad, here is more about my book, Changing Fate.
All Kate wants is to stay alive. Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of two and battling its effects every day is hard enough. But when her mom uproots them in the middle of her senior year to live closer to the hospital, Kate’s determined to isolate herself. Not only does she have a secret to keep, but making friends means losing them when her disease finally wins the constant battle.
When her backpack is stolen on the first day of school, Kate fights to get it back but her lunch is gone. Even though she doesn’t want friends, her hunger drives her to accept food from an upbeat extrovert named Giana. Her resolve to be alone falters even more when she hears the smooth voice of freckle-faced Kyler, whose sweet melodies give Kate hope and make her lifelong dreams of visiting Paris feel like reality. Between Giana’s persistent friendliness and Kyler’s soft touches, Kate struggles to keep her emotional walls in place.
As her health rapidly declines, Kate begins to realize the people she pushes away may also be the ones who give her a reason to keep living. But what if it’s too late?
Basically, that's my query in a nutshell...or in a blogpost! Thanks for stopping by!
