Quotes and Cookies: Books aren't written, they're rewritten

I mentioned on Tuesday that my second book went to copy edits. After massive amounts of edits, it's finally to the point where it's only minor things that will change. I cannot even begin to tell you how awesome this makes me feel! It has taken rewrite after rewrite, round of edits after round of edits to get just right.

Want to know what makes me happy right now? The fact that someone like Michael Crichton said this:

Books aren't written, they're rewritten. Including your own.
It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh
rewrite hasn't quite done it.

~Michael Crichton

Because if he spends rewrite after rewrite to get his books the way they need to be, then we all should expect ours to, too.

This calls for a really indulgent, comfort food-ish cookie. Enjoy!

photo credit: poopoorama via photopin cc

3 Months Until Release: News, Full Jacket Reveal, and FIRST ARC GIVEAWAY!

I interrupt the regularly scheduled MG post (which will be back next Monday, I swear) to bring you 3 MONTHS UNTIL RELEASE DATE HAPPENINGS!

Holy frijoles, guys. I got my book deal almost exactly 19 months ago. Hitting the three month countdown is sort of.... unreal. And exciting. And slightly terrifying. And fun.

First, a little update.

• I'm nearing the end of second round edits for book 2. I had heard that book 2s were a beast that would try to kill you in both your waking and your sleeping hours. I knew that. Still, though, I kind of just figured that my beast was going to be a cute little meerkat, poking his head up out of his hole to greet me every morning, and we'd get along swimmingly. Turns out, it's a Balrog and we've been battling for an eternity, and it's still unclear who's going to win. (Although I'm telling you right now, it's going to be me.)

• If we are friends on facebook, then you might've seen this a few weeks ago when I posted it, but it still gives me a thrill every single time I think of it, so I'm going to share it here, too. The American Booksellers Association chose 22 titles spread across all categories to be promoted in independent bookstores all across the country as part of their Celebrate Debut Authors with Indies program. They chose a total of four middle grade titles to push, and mine is one of them. Guys-- I can't even. I am still blown away and cry happy tears whenever I think about it. You can read the article from the ABA here.

• I am going to ComicCon International in San Diego in a few weeks! In one of those miracle all-the-puzzle-pieces-come-together moments, I also get to go with my hubby and our three kids. It's a geek family's dream come true. (Except for my middle child who isn't a geek, and who is a little weirded out by the fact that we're going. We're hoping to convert him to geekism on this trip.)

Enough news. Let's get to the full jacket reveal! Have I mentioned how much I love my art director (Nicole De Las Heras) and my cover artist (Owen Richarson)? They rock my world. Go ahead and click on this baby and make it huge. These guys made every square inch of it awesome. It's even more amazing in person, because it's embossed-- Sky Jumpers is raised the most, and then Hope, Aaren, and then the mountains. And the title has a special treatment on it that makes it shine in the light. When my editor sent me a jacket, I petted it for like 30 minutes straight.

And now, time for a giveaway! ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) of Sky Jumpers have been rare, and for a while, I wasn't sure I'd be able to give one away. I was so excited when I found out I'd get a few more copies, because I've been dying to share it with you guys. You've made this journey so incredible! I love hanging out with you all, even if we may never actually see each other in person. :'o) Sad, I know, but this one is a U.S. only giveaway. I will do everything I can to do an international giveaway soon.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have an awesome week, everyone!

Quotes and Cookies: Of eggs and patience

LOVE this:

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it."

~Arnold H. Glasow

Which I'm pretty sure translates into writer-speak that you should edit your book instead of throwing it out the window when it's giving you grief.

And then you can get the book version of this:

photo credit: Roger Smith via photopin cc

Something unique looking with awesome hair that everyone will Ooh! and Ahh! over. And who doesn't want that?

Just be warned that he/she will probably want a cookie. You better take two.

And then set about revising! And NOT throwing your manuscript out the window.

photo credit: scubadive67 via photopin cc

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!



P.S. Thank you so much to Neurotic Workaholic for the Liebster Award! I can guarantee my answers wouldn't be nearly as hilarious as hers were.

P.P.S. I'm at The League of Extraordinary Writers today, talking about using a sense of wonder in speculative fiction. Come hang out! Yes, you can definitely bring your cookie with you.

Wanna NaNoReviMo with me?

Last year, a bunch of us who were all revising got together for something we liked to call NaNoReviMo. I've got to tell you-- it was AWESOME to have so much support and encouragement. Not to mention how much more fun it is to revise with others!

Since it was such a great success before, we've decided to do it again. The lovely Jessie Humphries is spearheading it this time. Head over to her blog, The B-Word and let her know if you want to join! (Or leave me a comment letting me know, and I'll pass the word along.)

If you join, what will you get? Well, along with a manuscript so shiny you'll barely be able to look at it, you'll get the choice of displaying one or more of these fabulous buttons.

Created by Mara Rutherford:

Created by Tara Tyler:

Created by Carrie Butler:

Sounds fabulous, no? Makes you want to join, doesn't it? I highly recommend it!

And now to make my goals for the month public, thereby making them more likely to happen. (That's the way it works, right?)

1. I'm somewhere in the last 10,000 words of drafting book two. My goal is to finish before this week is over, NaNo style.
2. Make it shine, before my December first deadline to my agent, and not go insane doing it. 

There. Nice and simple. ;)

Head on over to Jessie Humphries's blog and let her know if you want to join us! You can email her at jachumphries (at) gmail (dot) com if you'd rather.

What are your goals this month?

Quotes and Cookies: Don't be lazy!

I recently read SAVE THE CAT for the first time. Ohmygosh. I wish I would've known about this book 4 1/2 years ago when I first started writing! It is nothing short of brilliant. Blake Snyder's fifteen "beats" are one of those things that once you read them, you think Of course it needs to be that way! It just feels right. If you haven't read it, I'd definitely recommend it. I wrote a synopsis of my book 2 my usual way and sent it to my agent. Then I wrote a synopsis of the same book using the beat sheet to send to my editor, and it's about a billion times better! (Sorry, Sara, for sending you the crap one first.) I'll never write another synopsis (or another book!) without using the beat sheet. So, in honor of my new found love, today's quote comes straight from SAVE THE CAT. It's one of the paragraphs at the end, after he suggests all the things you should do to make your manuscript shine.

If you are having any nagging doubts about [your manuscript], you now know what to do. You have the tools to go back in and fix it. But will you? That's the rub. Here's a tip: When in doubt, do it. Don't be lazy! Don't say "Oh well, no one will notice" because... they will.

You only get the one shot at a first impression. Try to get over the love affair you have with yourself and your work and do what needs to be done. This is what separates the pros from the wannabes--- that nagging voice that says: "It sucks!" And the mature, adult, professional voice that quickly chimes in: "And I know how to fix it!"

~Blake Snyder

So I guess that means we need both the nagging voice and the professional voice to get us through it... And possibly a cookie.

By http://www.flickr.com/photos/rusvaplauke/ [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Have a fabulous weekend!

One year from today! And the implications thereof.

Guess what happens exactly one year from TODAY?

My book releases!

Yes. I'm a little excited.

It feels like I've had my book deal for FOREVER (it's been 10 months and one week), yet I still have a year to go. In case you were wondering, yes, a year and ten months is a crazy long time when you're waiting for your book to come out! And yes, it's a completely normal length of time to wait if you're with a big publisher. Many of the people in the Lucky 13s have wait times over two years long. But now, to have that number be a year or less, feels MAGICAL. (Seriously-- anyone need any magic done? Today I feel like I could do it.)

There's a lot of implications, though, that come with the one year before mark that I can't say I had thought of before this point. Let me tell you where I'm at right now:

• Book 1 has been fully content-edited. 
• Book 1 has gone through the first round of copy edits, and ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies that go out to reviewers) are printed based off of that. It has gone to production for ARCs, even though they won't be out until spring. It has also gone back to copy edits for the second round. At this point, other than a few sentence wording things, it's pretty much set in stone.
• Book 1 HAD a cover.... until it was shown at list launch early August, and they decided that the cover wasn't strong enough for the book, so they started over with a different illustrator. That's a story for another time, but basically, it would've had a cover by now, if it went according to plan.
• Book 2 is two-thirds of the way drafted.

What does that have to do with anything, might you ask? A lot, actually. Like many, my books will come out almost exactly a year apart, which means books two and three will be on roughly the same schedule. Which means that when my book releases a year from now, this is what will be happening:

• Book 2 will be fully edited
• Book 2 will have gone through copy edits, and onto production
• Book 2 will likely have a cover
• Book 3 will be in the drafting stage.

Why that is significant?

Let's talk about reviews. Or, more importantly, constructive reviews. Have you ever read a book that was great except for one thing? Let's say it's an annoying tic the main character has that drives the general population nuts. Or something in the plot or with the world that seems to not fit, and desperately needs some explanation in the next book. By the time people start reading the book, and reviews start coming in, the next book is already to the point where everything is pretty much set in stone. So anything that needs to be addressed specifically, for the sake of the reader, can't be addressed until the third book.

Kind of mind-blowing, no? (Does it freak me out? A little. Yes.)(But it also helps stave off the Sophomore Slump, which is TOTALLY a story for another day.)

For a moment, I'm going to forget all that. Right now I need to go make one of those paper chains you made in December in elementary school to count down the days until Christmas by ripping off one link of the chain every day. Only this one will count down the days until TTBB releases. Then I'm going to wrap it around the walls in my office. And around... and around....

Auction: **TODAY ONLY!**

Hey, guys! How the heck are you? I’m doing GREAT! I finished second round revisions on Friday (which feels SO unbelievably good!), and now I’m on vacation with my family. Right now, I am probably.... playing a board game, or swimming in the pool.

BUT, I’ve got to tell you something! Have you heard of Crits for Water? It is an amazing three month even that Kat Brauer organizes every year to auction off critiques to raise money to get drinkable water in third world countries. It’s made an incredible difference! The extra cool thing is, in these villages that have been helped, the kids no longer have to walk for 4 or 5 hours a day to haul water into town, so they can now go to school. It’s one of those charities that just makes you warm all over.

This year, a critique of mine, along with two other Luckies, is being auctioned! I was so excited when Kat asked me to participate!

Now obviously I really want you guys to consider going to bid on my critique. I’m a little weirded out by selling myself, so Infomercial Announcer Dave has graciously offered to do it for me. Take it away, Dave!

And up today, we have a critique of 2500 words! Peggy will give suggestions on how to make your manuscript stronger, and let you know where it’s strengths are. (If you're looking for positive affirmations and only want to hear the strengths-- Peggy looks like a fairly nice person. I bet that could be arranged.) 

And for the icing on the cake, you get critiques by two authors! The second is by the lovely and talented Caroline Carlson. These two authors will not collaborate on their critiques, so if one author suggests something, but you wonder if it's something that's just that one author's preference or a broader issue, you can also see if the other author had the same suggestion!

Aaaaand for the sprinkles on the icing, the fabulous Stephanie Kuehn will also critique your query and synopsis, getting you ready for submission! All for the same auction bid!

Need further convincing? I have four of Peggy’s critique partners here, to let you know what to expect from a critique. Come on down, CPs! Tell us what you think!

“Peggy is an exceptional critiquer. Not only is she prompt, 

but she is also dedicated, honest, and positive. I can always

count on Peggy for direct feedback expressed in a way that

helps me make my story better.”

~Jessie Humphries

“Peggy Eddleman has a great sense of story and character, 

and her critiques help me take my story where I really want

it to go without losing any of my own style.”

~Jason Manwaring

“I've worked with Peggy Eddleman for the last few years. 

She's helped me mold my writing and develop my skill. In 

fact, she once critiqued my query letter, giving me key tips

 that landed me a half dozen requests for my manuscript. 

Her skill in finding what isn't working with a manuscript is 

worth gold.”

~Erin Summerill

“In short, Peggy is my refiner's fire. I can give her the most 

polished material, read and approved by several, and she 

manages to spot the real problems and brings them to my 

attention, in a feel-good way. She's knows her stuff. Any 

aspiring or accomplished writer would do themselves well 

by having her critique their work.”

~David Powers King

So head on over to Crits for Water right away! The auction ends TONIGHT. Yes, folks, Monday night at midnight, EST. So hurry! 

Here you go, Peggy. The mike is yours.

Thanks, Infomercial Announcer Dave! And if you want to see what crits are coming up for auction, go here. Not only can you get a great crit, but you are HELPING VILLAGES GET WATER. One of the most basic needs in the world, and you can help them get it. How freaking cool is that?

L is for Leave Out

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip."

~Elmore Leonard

Best revising advice ever! If people are going to skip it, take it out. Of course, it's also paired with the understood Put in the parts people want to read.

Ahh. If only it were so simple.

But I don't know-- maybe it is that simple. Maybe the challenge lies in knowing which parts people will want to skip. And once you know that, it's as simple as leaving out those parts.

What do you think? Simple or not so simple?

And do you know what makes you think better? Staring at cookies! (Right? I know it totally helps me.)

Photo credit and recipe link for Cookies & Cups (thanks, Jo!)

Happy Friday the thirteenth, everyone!!

Quotes and Cookies: Revising

Guys, my revision letter is IN THE MAIL. My manuscript will come with handwritten notes on it. Eeeeee! It's possible that gearing up for revisions is a little bit on my mind. So on with revision quotes!

"A kiss that speaks volumes is seldom a first edition."

~Clare Whiting

"I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil."

~Truman Capote

"You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke."

~Arthur Polotnik

And one that echoes my sentiments:

"Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing."

~Bernard Malamud

Aren't revisions the best? They're what turns good into great. Okay into incredible. Fine into fabulous. Ahh. I LOOOOVE revising. Do you loooove it, too? Or are you in one of those relationships with it where you both just kind of annoy each other for a really long time before you find out that you've really loved each other all along? (Or is it one of those relationships where you're willing to bet your keyboard that love could never possibly be a word you'd use to describe your relationship with revising?)

Since we're in the month of love, and because Valentines Day is just around the corner, and because that day holds a special place in my heart,* have a Valentine cookie!

(*It is, after all, the anniversary of the day I was born. Now don't go thinking you should wish me a happy birthday when it rolls around! Valentine's Day is not my birthday. Just the anniversary of my birth.)

Photo Credit: Cookie Crazie

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

How do you know when your manuscript is ready?

Soon after I got my book deal, several people asked me to do a post on how to know when your manuscript is ready. How to know when you are DONE! When you've crossed the finish line!

I’ve put this post off because.... well it’s HARD. And totally subjective. And one person's take. This isn't researched in the sense of me spending a month combing through everything on the subject and giving you a comprehensive report. (Wow. I gave myself a headache just typing that!) However, it is researched in the sense that I spent the last four years gleaning everything I could, and found what works best for me.

Will it work for you? Idk. Probably parts will and parts won't. Most of it you probably already do. Either way, here you go. Peggy's Guide to Editing and Revising. :)

I am DONE. Why oh why should I keep going through it and through it?

There are lots of reasons why you should work hard to make your MS shine! Reasons I may be just a little passionate about.

• Because nobody is brilliant enough to get all the depth needed into a manuscript in one pass. (I know you're brilliant. Incredibly brilliant! Even so, it still can't all happen in one pass.) There are so many things you need to focus on in a book. Making sure the characters are fully formed. That the setting feels real. That the plot has the high points and low points in the right places. That the conflict is engaging. That pacing is good. Using varied sentence structure. Not using passive voice. Making sure the voice itself is compelling. Along with about a million more things. Don't panic! There's no way anyone can keep all those things in focus while drafting. And herein lies the beauty of revisions. They let you get to all of those things, dealing with as many or as few at a time as you'd like.
• Your [current or future] agent has strengths. Editing might not be one of them. They may be good at negotiating contracts. They may be good at foreign rights. They may be good at brainstorming with you. They may be good at keeping you updated. They may be organized. They may be a good editor. THEY WILL NOT BE ALL OF THESE THINGS. They shouldn't be expected to be all these things, so don't expect your agent to be able to tell you everything that should be fixed for your book to sell well. That might not be their strength. And that's totally okay, because you'll be head-over-heels in love with whatever their strengths are!
• All the work it takes to get your ms ready? That work has to happen sometime. If you put it off until an editor or agent asks you to do it, it still has to be done. By you. No one does any of it for you. And if you wait, it has to happen on a schedule. Do it now, and it happens on your schedule. :)
• If you get impatient with revisions and query too soon, an agent / editor might pass, when maybe they would have said yes if it was in better shape. And that chance with that agent / editor is gone. Sad, sad day.

Things to do when revising
(Revising to me means changing content.)

• Think about every single piece of advice that you hear in the context of the book you're working on. You read a lot of blogs, right? Maybe even read a lot of books on craft? Go to conferences? Think how you can use what they suggest to make your book stronger. Then add in those layers into your manuscript. Add that depth to that one character. Spend some time thinking about how changing your book based on those suggestions will help it. Do this enough times, and your setting/characters/plot will feel like they're a real place / real people / could really happen. The more layers you get, the more people will be invested in this world you created.
• When you read through your ms, if you ever think, “I don’t know how they’re going to take this part,” change it. That's the little warning light in your brain, blinking, letting you know that there's a problem with that section. Keep going through your ms until you don't have any more parts you wonder about.
• Read it through and see if it reads like a published book. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that it's supposed to be rough until an agent and an editor works their magic on it. Think about the last "just okay" book you read. There were things that you didn't love, or that weren't done well, right? Each time you ran into them, you pushed them into a little container in the side of your brain and kept going because of the parts you liked, right? But if there were too many things that bugged you, your little container got full, and suddenly you cared a whole lot less about finishing the book. Agents / editors are the same way. Try your best not to give them things that are going to go into their container.

Things to look for when editing
(Editing to me means grammar stuff.)(These are some things that are my biggest pet peeves, or things that I think can make writing SO MUCH STRONGER.)

• Don't use was ___ing (or were ___ing. Or am ___ing) unless you have to. As in, don't use something like "We were running down the street." (Or "I was running down the street," or "I am running down the street.") Just use "We ran down the street." (I ran... I run...) Why? Because was ___ing is less concrete. Notice how "We were running down the street" feels more like you're watching from a distance and they're kind of floating down the street. With "We ran down the street," you can feel the pound of each foot on the pavement. Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT make it feel more "in the moment." I just doesn't. Is there ever a time you should use it? Yes. When something is actually in the middle of happening. For example: "When we walked outside, the sun was shining." You can't really change it to say "When we walked outside, the sun shone," because then it sounds like it JUST started happening when they walked outside. Basically, if you change it, and it changes when something happened, leave it. Otherwise, get it out. :)
• Inanimate objects can DO things. This is a HUGE one! Using "was" or "is" isn't all that desirable, is it? As a reader, it makes it feel like you're being told everything, instead of seeing it. So, instead of saying "The building was at the end of the road..." Use "The building sat at the end of the road..." Instead of "The clock was in the middle of the wall..." use "The clock hung in the middle of the wall..." Easy peasy. Yet makes a huge difference.
• Walking to the door, she opened it. Okay, um... You can't open the door at the same time that you're walking to it. Be careful with these! It's a rare case when it's a good idea to start a sentence with a word that ends with "ing."
• Almost never use filters. I think (or he/she thought), I knew (or he/she knew), I saw (or he/she saw). Or smelled. Or felt. Or any other filter words. Use these, and the reader stops feeling like everything is happening to them, and starts feeling like they are watching the things happen to your character. It’s no longer personal to the reader. Why? Instead of imagining how something feels, the reader has to imagine how it feels to that character, then think about how they feel about the character feeling that way. There's a filter there. THINGS GET TRAPPED IN FILTERS. That's kind of their job. Don't use filters! There are very few cases when you need to point out that the character hears/sees/thinks/feels/knows/smells something. Most of the time, that's understood. If you come across any of these, take it out and see if it still makes sense. Chances are, it will.
• Use economy of phrasing. It's amazing how complicated we make sentences the first time around. Take a look at each and every sentence and see if there is a simpler, more concise way to say it. Your job is to never confuse the reader. (Withhold things from them, sure. Use red herrings, absolutely. But never confuse. Especially in the wording of a sentence.)
• Look for pet words you overuse. For me, it's "just" and "that." And I am TOTALLY FINE with them going in the first draft. Everything flows better when I do. But when it comes time to edit, it's time to take them out! Actions can be overused, too. Glancing, shrugging, eye rolling... Just keep an eye out of anything you overuse. 
• Change your font. Sounds weird, I know. But somewhere toward the end of revising, change the font. If you've been using Times New Roman, change it to something like Arial, or vice versa. You'll be amazed at the things you'll catch when you aren't staring at the same font that you've stared at for the past gazillion revisions! Then when you're done, you can go ahead and change it back. :)

What if I’ve been changing it for forever? I could always revise more and make it better.

• This one's hard! I say if you get down to the point where you are fiddling with wording over and over, and you're only making minor tweaks, it's probably time to call it DONE.

Are you sure? Are you sure I'm ready?

Two things. 

• Don’t confuse hope and desire with being ready.
• But don’t confuse fear of rejection with not being ready.

Your gut will tell you when you are there! Listen to it. Then summon all the bravery and confidence you can muster and move forward with it in whatever direction your headed.

What's been the hardest thing for you when you're editing / revising? And do you have any more suggestions to add? We really want to hear them!

I've Got a Theory: How to send an inner editor on vacation

Many thanks to LisaAnn at Kicked, Cornered, Bitten and Chased for the Versatile Blogger award and the kind words. Thanks, Lisa!

I've gone through a few different inner editors. I even came up with a theory about how you can fire your inner editor. I still wholeheartedly believe in that theory. And now I've got another theory to go along with it.

When I first started writing, my inner editor was Miss Stakeless. She was tough. She made me get my wording close to perfect the first time. She made me stop and think about every single sentence as I wrote it. She made me vary my sentence structures as I went. Why? Because she knew that in my revision process, wording didn't tend to change much. I hate hate hated it. But I totally understand why she did it.

But I still jumped for joy the day I was able to fire her and to hire Auntie Em. Because she made cookies in the brain kitchens while I worked, and I just happen to work really well to the smell of baking cookies. And she'd only check on me every 9-11 minutes. I was sad to see her go, but she still has a standing offer to take over my brain kitchens anytime she wants.

She left because I finally cajoled my dream inner editor to move in. (Yes, there was much cheering. The brain dudes in my army even hosted a party in the streets of my brain.) His name is Dood, and he's a surfer. I really, really loved getting Dood, because he is perfectly willing to surf while I write, and not check in very often. Yet he drops everything and helps non-stop when I'm ready to go to editing mode. He's quite the dream.

My problem? I went into a very intense editing mode for many months. Then I drafted a new book for a bit, then I went into an even more scrutinizing edit.

So when I was ready to start TTBB Book 2, I was afraid. Afraid that since I had been in such a strong editing/revising mode, and not a drafting mode, I was going to start drafting and find that Dood had moved out, and Miss Stakeless had taken his place again. But, I plunged in anyway, and guess what I found? My revising skills had increased enough during the intense editing phase that Dood felt he could take a vacation while I drafted! Apparently, he has enough faith in me. Not faith that I won't mess up the draft. I think he's pretty sure that's a good possibility. He's got faith that when he returns, WE CAN FIX IT.

Ahh. Bliss.

So here's my theory: Delving deep into the revision caves isn't going to cripple your ability to write. You may feel a little rusty, but spending so much time on revisions actually makes you a better writer. And makes your inner editor more confident in your abilities.

Do you find that to be the case? Or have you just not had the heart (or the guts) to fire that one inner editor that thinks (s)he needs to rap your knuckles every time you make a mistake? (If that's the case, I really feel for you. I don't know about you, but my knuckles are pansies. There should probably be a Fire Your Inner Editor Support Group.)

Quotes and Cookies: Read Without Effort

Because so many people are either working so hard at writing or working so hard at editing right now, possibly wondering if all the really hard work is worth it, this quote is for you:

"When something can be read without effort,
great effort has gone into its writing."

~Enrique Jardiel Poncela

I think it's a great reminder that not only does really great writing take A LOT of work, but it definitely is worth it to every person who will read it.

And as you're putting such great effort into your writing, have a cookie! These remind me of both the blue skies we had here yesterday, the snow we're supposed to have tomorrow. Plus, someone put great effort into making these! They're like the culinary equivalent of a really great scene.

TheSweetJoyOfBaking.Blogspot.Com

So what about you? Have you been putting great effort into your writing this week? Or have you read a book lately that could be read without effort? I'd love to hear about it!

Happy NaNo-ing, writing, revising, playing, relaxing, to-do listing, quality-timing, or whatever else you have planned this weekend!

Joss Has a Theory: When It Doesn't Work

Thanks so much Bea Sempere and WilyBCool for the Versatile Blogger award!

Okay. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Joss Whedon is a genius. I learned a great deal from him by listening to his commentaries. Especially because he commentates the episodes HE writes, and the episodes he writes are always fabulous.

Anyway, I learned a theory from him that BLEW ME AWAY.

Aren't they freaking adorable?

It happened on an episode of Angel. The girl in this picture is Amy Acker, and she plays Fred. When Joss caught wind that in real life, Amy had trained as a professional ballet dancer for twelve years, he decided to write an episode around that, where she could actually do ballet. So in the episode, they all went to the ballet, and of course there was an evil curse involved, because this is a show about paranormal stuff, after all. Wesley here, who was secretly in love with Fred, fell asleep mid-ballet and had his own ballet dream. With him and Fred, of course.

Well.... The awesome scene with Fred being an amazing ballet dancer and Wesley wearing tights and being completely awkward never aired.

Why? Because of Joss' theory. Actually, I think he credited a mentor of his, but in my mind, it was ALL JOSS. He said that things were just off. Something wasn't right. The pacing was wrong, the story didn't flow, something didn't jive. He tried and tried to fix it, but no matter what he did, it just wasn't fixing. Then he remembered something his mentor said. His theory, if you will.

If a particular scene (or your book in general) isn't working,
REMOVE YOUR FAVORITE PART.

Years ago when I watched this, I wasn't a writer yet, and I still felt the stab of pain in my heart when he said that. It's the one piece of writing advice that has stuck with me the strongest. Probably because it's one of the most painful pieces of writing advice I've ever received! Removing your FAVORITE part?! Ouch.

Yet at the same time, I knew he was completely right. I knew it from a million other things I had done, most of which had nothing to do with writing. It makes sense. If you have ONE PART that you won't touch, everything else has to bend for it. It can't go in the direction it's supposed to go, because it is all being pulled to that one part that you're clinging to. And if everything is all bent and warped, then more than likely things are not going to turn out well.

So by removing your favorite part, everything is free to go the direction it needs to go. It isn't being held back.

What do you think? Is he right? Have you ever tested this theory yourself? If you did, how big of a band-aid did you need to cover the gaping hole it left?

Revising?

Are you knee-deep in revisions?

Or maybe you dove in and now you're completely submerged?

You know there's an amazing diamond in that rough, and you just need to keep chipping away until it's revealed? Do you want to polish until it gleams so brightly you can see it a mile away?

But do you keep seeing people's posts on NaNoWriMo, and it makes you sad because you really WANT to do it, but you really NEED to get through revisions first and you know that even if it sounds like bucket loads of fun, NaNoWriMo is just out for you?

It kinda gets you RIGHT HERE, doesn't it.

Well, guess what? I have the perfect solution!

NaNoReviMo

(The NaNo folks will be okay with me distorting their name and using it for my own purposes, right? They're cool like that, RIGHT?)

Here's the deal: I think we can have it all. NaNo craziness AND revisions.

I think that all of us who plan to really rock the revision scene during the month of November should do it together the way NaNoWriMoers write together! I first got the idea when Carrie Butler left her comment on my NaNo post last Wednesday. We could have a group email and give each other a kick in the pants, inspire one another, and best of all, report our progress!

We could REVISE 50,000 words in November. Or, we could make a different, personalized goal that fits with our needs better. FINISH revising. CUT a certain amount of words. ADD a certain number of words. Work on the revision letter I just got from my agent. :) EDIT a certain number of chapters. Whatever works. We just each decide what our goal is, then WORK LIKE CRAZY TO GET THERE. And have fun while we're doing it!

So who's with me?

Feel free to leave your RSVP or your regrets in the comments.

If you'd like to join, I'll need your email address at some point. You can leave it in the comments if you'd like. If you're weirded out by that and you have it somewhere on your blog, I can click over and find it. If you don't, email me. Peggyeddleman [at] gmail [dot] com.

Let's do this!

I could finally SEE

[You guys KILLED me yesterday in the comments! You're all freakin hilarious! (Yes, I'm especially looking at you, Michael Offutt.) Seriously, I LOVED reading everyone's comments. It's amazing to see all the ways we are similar and all the ways we're different. I love you guys! Now onto the post:]

Like a million other people, without glasses or contacts, I am legally blind (that basically means you can't see the big E on eye charts).

UNlike millions of people, I was the only one in my family of eight with bad eyesight. I actually didn't even know I had bad eyesight until I was in the third grade and someone told me! (Unlike my son who told me his eyes were "broken" when he was three.)

My teacher led us down to the lunchroom at the beginning of the year for the annual vision screening. I was bored waiting in line because, like everyone else in the lines, we'd passed this test so many times before. When it was my turn, I stepped up to the line with all the confidence of someone taking a test where all they had to do was point three of their fingers in the direction the letter E was turned. (I know! By third grade, you'd think they'd have let us graduate to the eye charts that showed actual letters.)

I wasn't worried at all. I could see just fine. Everything I needed to see was RIGHT THERE. Sure, I might have to be close to things, but didn't everyone?

I stared at the chart, dumbfounded. I couldn't make out any of the letters on the line she pointed at! After a moment of silence, she pointed to the line above it, and asked if I could read that line. I tried my best. I guessed at the answers. I must not have guessed very well, because she moved up a line. After I finished with that one, she asked me to come with her, and put me by myself in front of the stage. My whole class stared at me, knowing I had failed my test. They left to go back to the class, the school nurse re-tested me, then informed me that I need to let my mom know I needed glasses.

I was so blindsided by it, I took a detour to the bathroom on my way back to my classroom and cried.

But THEN, a couple weeks later, I got my new glasses. On the car drive home, I stared at my surroundings in amazement. I could see the rocks in the asphalt! I could see trees on the mountains! I could read the signs on the street! And when I got to school the next day, I could see the chalkboard FROM ANYWHERE IN THE ROOM.

It seemed laughable that I'd been reduced to tears weeks earlier when I'd found out. Because now, I COULD SEE! I could finally see!

I think it's the same way with writing. Sometimes you're so close to your story, you don't realize there are problems from a distance. Sometimes you need to take a break from it and walk far away. And then when you're ready to turn back around and take a look at it, you can see if there's a problem with how clear things are. Things you didn't notice when you were so close to it.

So when things just don't feel quite right, don't go into the bathroom and cry. Walk away for a while! When you come back, you'll finally be able to SEE.

On time, early, or just plain late

There are people who query too soon and there are people that query too late. Let’s face it: both are bad. It’s all about querying at exactly the right time.

For some people, the excitement of the project gets them querying too soon. And how fun is it to rein in that excitement? Psht. Not nearly as fun as letting it roam free!

Others (*cough*ME*cough*) want to be completely prepared before querying. When you make a goal to constantly learn and improve your craft, it kind of also means that you can constantly do another round of revisions and apply what you’ve learned. If YOU are always getting better, you can always make YOUR BOOK better. Same goes with the query and the synopsis. Plus there’s platform. Agents like platform. Maybe you should spend more time on that...

So there’s this little dude on one shoulder. He says, “You don’t want to waste that ONE CHANCE you get to query an agent! What if the agent most perfect for you— the one who would totally get your book and be able to get it into the hands of the perfect editor— passes because even though it was SO CLOSE, it wasn’t all the way there?”

And you say, “I know, right?”

Then the dude on the other shoulder says, “Come on already! What are you waiting for? The stars to align? All the fear of not being 100% ready to just disappear? Someone to kick you in the hind end? YOU have to kick you in the hind end!”

You sigh and say, “I know, right?”

Have you ever felt that way? Where do you stand— haven’t queried yet, queried early, queried late, or queried right on time?

Got any fears? Gems of wisdom? Please share!
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Revising is like bedroom closets

I watched the show Hoarders for the first time a few days ago. Have you seen it? Oh my gosh, that show makes me want to cry! And then hyperventilate from the claustrophobia. And then empty my house of every single thing not required to live.

On the show, the lady's house was actually even worse than this one! She had to be pretty close to the ceiling as she was climbing over things.

Doesn't it make you start looking for escape routes? Obviously keeping every cool thing you come across isn't a good idea.

Which brings me to what I'm really talking about. Drafting is like bedroom closets.

When you're drafting, you come across so many cool things! Things you pick up that you want to take home and include in your own manuscript. Like things that happened to your main character. Sure it happened before the story started, but they shaped WHO THE CHARACTER IS. Some are cool things in the setting. Sure they don't move the plot forward, but THEY ARE JUST SO INTERESTING. Sometimes it's a subplot that went in a direction you weren't even expecting, and you ran with it because it was SO MUCH FUN. Sometimes you see a character in a movie or in a book that so enthralled you, you want a character with some of those traits in your book too. Sure, developing them has eaten a lot of words and isn't integral to the plot, but YOU LOVE THEM.

And doing all of that is PERFECTLY FINE. Really. Because during that "bring stuff home" phase, you might discover that element of your story that is the equivalent to the perfect pair of jeans that you don't think your wardrobe could live without.

It's really okay to have a draft that looks like this closet.

But let's face it: it can't stay that way. Readers will start looking for escape routes. That closet needs cleaned and organized.

Which brings me to my actual point. Revising is also like bedroom closets.

Have you ever stood in front of your bedroom closet and thought I have nothing to wear, even though there were tons of clothes in there? Sometimes there is so much STUFF, you can hardly see what's good. If you go through and toss anything that doesn't HAVE to be in there, then suddenly you feel like you can breathe again AND see what you really have to work with. It isn't hidden behind a bunch of stuff that may or may not have been cool, but is nonetheless adding in a positive way to your wardrobe.

Same goes for manuscripts. If there is so much extra stuff in it, regardless of how awesome it is, it can make it hard to see the plot. It clutters the story. It hides the truly good parts.

And then when all of the extra is gone, you can take a good look at the closet and think, No wonder I felt like I had nothing to wear. I only have two skirts! I don't have many dress shirts! I need a new pair of pants!

And just as easily, when you look at a manuscript without any clutter, you can see I need more description here! This plot turn would be stronger if I built up the opposite emotion right before it! My character just did something he/she had no motivation to do! You'll actually be able to SEE what changes need to be made.

And in the end you'll be left with a manuscript that the equivalent of a closet you can't stop staring at because everything in it's so darn perfect.

Happy revising everyone!
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Wasn’t that the bell?

Kind of like this boy. Although I wasn't a boy. I'm still not a boy.

Normally I loved school. But one day I sat in my fifth grade classroom with my mind a million miles away, thoroughly unable to concentrate. Maybe I had spring fever. Or ants in my pants. Or just sick-of-school-itis. Whatever it was, I didn't think I could stay in my seat for another second, and that's when the bell finally rang.

Ahh. I had made it! I ran to the coat racks, yanked my backpack off the hook, and nearly ran outside. (Except I didn't run because running is against the rules!) On the way out, my friend Amber said, “Hey, do you want to play a game of four square?”

I thought two things. First, No way! I am so done with this day! I’m outta here! Second, How is she going to have time to play? She rides the bus home! I muttered a “No, thanks,” and headed to the nearest door outside, which was also the door to the playground.

What I saw when I pushed the door open baffled me. I stood and stared as not only my class, but the entire fifth and sixth grade was playing! Why weren’t they going home?! Was there some kind of planned after school event that I had somehow missed hearing about? Was it just THAT nice of a day that everyone felt like they just HAD to stay and play longer?
 

It took a minute to realize that the bell I thought meant school was out was really just the bell to go to recess. I thought I’d finally finished, but I STILL HAD MORE SCHOOL DAY AHEAD OF ME. As I stood there holding my backpack, ready to bolt for the exit, I wasn’t sure I could handle walking back into school when recess was over.

Tell me you've done that before. Us confused recess kids have to stick together! What? Some of you haven't had to explain why you took your backpack out to recess? Oh. Did you do like I did and just hid your backpack in an alcove and waited until school was actually over to retrieve it? Good thinking.

I thought I was done with my last book. Completely ready to query and send off to any agent who asked for it. I mean I had gone through nine full revisions! It had been beta read by so many great people! I felt like it really rocked! Then a few things happened at nearly the same time, involving a really tough critique, several “how did I not realize that before!” suggestions, and me finally figuring out how to incorporate those first few chapter descriptions more effectively.

I realized that for my book the bell hadn’t rung to go home! I still had work to do! My book was really good.... but it wasn’t great yet. And if I want the absolute best chances of getting published, I have to go for great, even if it means heading back in again.

Heading back into school in fifth grade didn’t exactly KILL me, even if I thought it might. I mean I actually made it through the rest of the day unscathed! I know. It surprised me, too. So I guess if that didn't kill me, then this won't, either.

So what do you do when you need to talk yourself into facing work you thought was already done?
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Quotes and Cookies: Excellent Rewriter

The first time I read this quote, I was in love. 

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."

~James Michener

I love that it gives you permission to not try to make the first draft perfect.

And I love it because I LOVE revising. It's my favorite part of writing, because it can turn an okay story into a good story. The next round of revisions, can turn it from good to great. Another pass, and it can go from great to superb. Another and it can go to exceptional. Every single time through gets more and more exciting, because the story gets more and more exciting!

Ahh. Revising is my bff. I love it.

In honor of revising, let's have cookies! Nice crispy outside, squishy inside cookies. Cheers!

http://www.bakeorbreak.com/2008/02/outrageous-chocolate-cookies/

How about you? Do you love revising, or are you an excellent writer to start with?
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Scared and Looking For Bad Guys

My parents have always been huge believers in going on a date every Friday night. Which pretty much meant that as kids, we got to be wild and crazy and watch TV even after bedtime.

Maybe we were slow to learn, because more often than not, we'd be in the family room when we realized it was eerily dark.

And none of us were certain we'd locked the doors.

And we were pretty sure we heard a noise from somewhere in the house.

And we were convinced it was a robber.

So my older brother (we'll call him Genius Brother, to protect the not-so-innocent) grabbed the poker from the fireplace tools with the intention of poking the bad guy in the stomach. When the robber was bent over from the stomach poke, I would hit him on the head with the fireplace shovel. Then my younger brother (we'll call him Convincing Brother) would use the fireplace broom to hit him on the back, then Organized Sister would spray him in the eyes with spray starch (which, for some strange reason, was always on the fireplace), and Happy Sister, who was a toddler, would be protected by anyone not currently using their weapon on the bad guy.

Then, with Genius Brother leading, we'd delve into the deep, dark unknown to search for the Big Scary, even though we were all too afraid to leave the room. But it was even scarier to stay in the room and wait for the bad guy to come to us! We walked in a shaky line, weapons at the ready, as we searched upstairs and downstairs, turning on every light and locking every door as we went.

And do you know what? Once we got all the way through the house, made sure it was free of any robbers, and completely secured and brightened, WE FELT GOOD. Like really good. Go-shout-and-dance-like-your-parents-aren't-home good.

When you've finished the first draft (or even the second or third or fourth draft) of your manuscript, sometimes you get an inkling that a certain part isn't quite right. You shy away from the thought, because to figure it out, you have to delve into the deep, dark, SCARY unknown. What if when you delve, you actually find something really bad? Something you uncover might require you to use every weapon at your disposal to fix it. Heck, it might take weapons you don't even own yet. And that's what's scariest of all.

Scary and hard. You might even need to take back-up support along with you. But when the Big Scary is routed and your manuscript is left all bright and shiny, it'll feel GOOD. Real good. Sing-and-dance-in-the-streets good.

And if you ask me, that's so much better than sitting in the room, cowering at the thought of the Big Scary's presence.
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