Welcome to this week's edition of To-Do Tuesday. I hope you all had a great three day weekend! I had houseguests, so no writing was accomplished, but I know some of you may have good things to report! Speaking of good reports, my in-box is loaded down like the buffet table at Memorial day BBQ. Be sure to check out our question of the day at the end!
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Cobblestone Press Celebrates One Year Anniversary!
I received an email from Sable Grey of Cobblestone Press announcing their one year anniversary celebration, June 1-3. They have a number of great give-aways, author chats, and editor chats lined up to celebrate. Among other things, they'll be opening a new vampire series and calling for new submissions! I know we've got a lot of Vampire lovers (and writers) in the chapter, so check this site out, and take advantage of the chance to learn more about this author-driven small press.
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Paty Jager to Host Booksigning in Sisters, Oregon
Paty continues to show us the benefits of self-promotion. At her signing in Baker City, she sold a book to a woman who owns a bookstore in Sisters. The woman liked the book so much that she's booked Paty for a signing on June, 29th in Sisters at 6:30. Please consider making the trip to join Paty!
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Two June PRO Bootcamps
PRO members don't forget to sign up for the class loop! June's bootcamp classes includes one about Dallas (great for those attending Nationals or setting a book in Texas) and one about pitching.
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A Good Rejection?
I'm still pretty bummed about this, but I'm trying to see the glass as half-full. I received an email from the agent who had the full of my YA. She had many nice things to say about my writing and the work, but she decided to take a pass.
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Finished! Jen and Danita do the Happy Dance
Chapter members Jenni Gilliam and Danita Cahill have both finished MS's in the last week. Jenni finished her third MS, and sent out a query for her 2nd MS. Danita's long round of edits is coming to a close, and she's ready to "query, query, query." She also recently announced that she's working on the outlines for her next WIPs. Way to go ladies! Your awesome productivity inspires all of us.
Other productive members include Karen, making steady progress with daily page goals, Genene, continuing to move forward on her WIP, and Paty, who continues to redefine multi-tasking. What progress are YOU making? When do you want to cross the finish line next? And this brings me to our question of the day: what gets you across the finish line? Do you have little rituals you find yourself following as you type the final chapter(s)? Do you require "the zone" to finish, or does the zone usually leave you at the end? Do you bribe yourself to finish or is your eagerness enough? Ever face the dreaded block during those final pages? Share your thoughts with us.
Have news to share? Remember to email me with "blog news" in the subject line!
10 comments:
Bethany, so sorry about the pass. Ugh! Those are never easy to take.
What motivates me to finish? Just knowing I'm close to the end is enough for me. I actually speed up the process, which can be detrimental because you don't want a rushed ending. But I let it sit and percolate a while before I go back in to clean things up, getting rid of that "rushed" effect. I'm about 15 pages from the end right now, but my work week is loading up tight so I probably won't get to do those last pages until the weekend. Guess the house won't get cleaned yet again. 8^)
Sorry to hear about the R- But if she had good things to say, you have to remember it wasn't the writing, it probably was like something they already have or wouldn't fit the direction they are going right now. It wasn't a knock to your writing. Keep putting it out there it's going to click with the right person.
As for the end or finishing. Just getting that end scene that has been playing in my head since the conception of the story makes me continue to the end of the book. I always get the beginning scene and the ending in my head when a book comes to me and that's where I start and where I finish- so I am always looking toward that end and usually a little melancholy when I get there because the trip is over.
Congrats Karen on being so close---be sure to email me when you finish so I can add you to the news of that week!
Oh and on the R--same objection as the other agent who read the full--they love the story, they just don't see it selling w/ the diabetes premise. Unfortunately, I'm willing to change just about everything else but that issue. Once this semester is over in another week and a half or so, I plan to renew my focus on sending this MS out, doing one more round of agents before I move on to publishers. OR I may move directly to publishers.
Sorry to hear about the R, Wavy. It's especially hard after they've requested a full and the Possibility is right there. But, like others said, a good rejection is just that -- good. Getting closer to no rejection at all! And if I were you, I think I'd give a few publishers a whirl with that book and see if they also feel the diabetes aspect is something they will pass on or not. But that's me. I can only take so many agent passes before I move right on to editors (actually with the first ms, I did both at once).
As for finishing my WIP. Yes, and no. Still have the grueling timeline to figure out, and just when I feel finished with the body of the work, little lines and bits come to me that make the theme stronger. So, may be another week
or
so yet. Like Alice told me, I may as well take my time with every word on this one. Once I sell, I'll have actual deadlines and won't have that luxury. Although at this point, it's not feeling like a luxury, it's feeling sort of like an anchor around my neck...which brings me to how I finish. I have to. It drives me, obsesses me, until it is done. Really done.
It's not really so much getting the last scene written because that's often done before the book is even half finished.
Wavy--Poop on the R and yet I have a suggestion -- the pertinence of which you can judge on the basis of how much you paid for it. A-hem.
I have had several friends do "issue" books and as far as I can recall, the "issue" was always a small part of the book, a little thing that enriched and informed, etc... without being such a focus it got in the way (and attracted fewer readers which I imagine is a potential publisher's thought.) Please remember I have not read your book and have no idea how much diabetes is discussed or used as a plot point, etc... I'm only offering this as a potential "what if?" possibility for if the book is getting such good reviews and positive rejections, it will either find a home eventually as is or perhaps it can be tweaked. And, also, perhaps a smaller press would be interested--they sometimes take chances larger presses can't or won't.
End of idea.
Taking a break between books myself. Feeling a little itchy, though, so I have a suspicion the vacation is coming to an end. I have a final line edit to get out of here this week on the first of the last two books I wrote, so perhaps re-reading (again--and for the last time) that book will jolt me into action!
Thanks, Wavy, for your work on this blog,
Alice
Oops Danita--sorry for jumping the gun! We'll celebrate you again when you do finish, just email me!
NO Prob, Wavy,
For some reason it has felt like this book has been "done" about 16 times now.
My poor DH. He keeps saying, "What are you working on now? Oh. I thought you were done with THAT book."
Ha! Poor guy.
Danita--He'll catch on sooner or later...
Alice
Wavy, sorry to hear about the R, but I read on the loop this morning about your request, so happy dancing for you! That was fabulous timing. Care to share who the request is from?
What motivates me to finish? Gosh, I wish I knew. I'm struggling to finish now. Generally, outside forces get me to finish - like my agent waiting for the book, or (before having an agent) a request or a CP who is waiting for chapters to finish what is (of course) the best book in the world. Earlier in my writing though, I found it very easy to finish a book. Probably because I wasn't working so hard to make it as good as it could be. As I grow as a writer though, and my plots and characters become more complex, I find the writing process is taking me longer. Ultimately what makes me finish though is the desire to get to the end and the drive I have to be published and build my career. (or so I hope.)
Thanks for keeping up the To-Do-Tuesdays, Wavy!
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