Sorry I left you hanging . . .

My realization was that the FREE online courses I signed up for on Coursera begin in a couple of weeks.  Sadly there are no writing classes.  However, the two I am enrolled in will directly impact my writing.  The first is "Science from Superheros to Global Warming".  The second is "Fantasy and Science Fiction:  The Human Mind, Our Modern World".  Yes, I have taken science classes and Science Fiction and Fantasy classes.  However, the science class is stated to focus on what is "good science" in relation to things such as superheros, movies, and real world issues.  The SF&F class tackles a few stories I have read, but many more I have not.  Both classes are lead by real professors from top notch colleges.  Oddly, I get more done, when I have a lot going on.  So, here's to more reading, more writing, and more learning! 

If you are interested in free college level online classes check out:  http://www.coursera.org/ 

All the hope for a happy new year-

Dashed.  No it's really not that bad.  Just irked that the first day of mail delivery of 2013, I get a rejection letter.  Not only did it take forever to arrive, since I sent the queries out in August (yes I know up to 6 months response time and agents are super busy reading shit they will reject).  Must be exhausting.  However, this is the most disappointing rejection letter to date.  Here it is, in all it's brevity:

Dear Author:  Yup, August to end of December, and he couldn't even stick my name in there.

Thank you for your letter. You're most welcome.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel I'd be the right agent for your work.  Would it kill you to tell me why?

Best wishes for finding a good agent and publisher.  Thank you.  It's beginning to look like I'll need it.

Cordially,  Now you're trying to make your obviously photo copied rejection letter unique?

Agent signature  The reason it's obvious photo copied.

Agent name printed

***

Well there you have it.  I don't even have a lot of sarcasm for it, because it doesn't say much.  Now I'm only waiting on one more.  I'm not holding my breath though.  It was an email query.

More news tomorrow.  I came to an awesome realization last night!  You must wait to hear what it was.  :)  See ya tomorrow.

Welcome 2013!

Quick 2012 overview:  I finished my first novel and began my second, got my first novel rejected twice and ignored twice, entered a few contests (didn't win any), had my story in the very public America's Next Author competition and had some really good moments, participated (and did not win) NaNoWriMo and actually began a third novel.  I do have feelings about all of that, most of which is documented elsewhere in this blog, so there is no need to go back through it.  I learned a lot and have a long way to go.

Welcome 2013!  What is ahead:  buckling down and finishing the sequel to novel number 1, participate in a local start up writers group, re-read/edit novel number 1, find a new list of agents to query, revamp query, send out said query, writer more short stories, submit said stories to lit mags, work on gaining a better presence on social media/this very blog, publish something in 2013!  Sounds like a busy year to me.

I'll update soon.  Once I reorganize from our holiday trip and remove the Christmas decor from my house.

America's Next Author - In Review

Overall:  Good -- I put my writing out there.  That's the hardest thing for me.  I'm so afraid of rejection (which being a writer, one must expect and embrace).  Understanding and acceptance of this fact are two very different things.

Not only did people see my writing, but I went out to several local (and not so local) businesses and talked to people.  Another thing I'm not so strong at.  (One reason I wanted to write when I was young).  I now see my faulty thinking in that.  Of course, when I am actually writing, I do not need to interact with people.  However, if I want people to read my stuff, I now know I do - and a lot.

Next I need to send out some serious thanks!  First to my husband, Rob, who I sent to work with instructions to make everyone he worked with read my story and vote.  I could not have done this well without him.  Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story.  Your input will help me become a better writer.  Thank you to everyone who voted, shared, tweeted, and asked friends to vote too!

Complaints:
-My biggest complaint about the competition is I am still not sure how the votes were tabulated.  I know they stated the reason being for that is that no one could cheat.  However, it would have at least been helpful to see how many quick votes everyone had.  I am guessing this had the biggest effect and in the weeks where I was in the top 20, I think being able to say "I am 50 votes behind number one" would have helped reach more readers.  Just a thought.
-I also did not like that the voting started a new every week, but it didn't seem to in all respects.  I guess I just wished that I had understood the voting system better.

What next?  Well I am going to read, vote, and review all of the finalists starting Wednesday.  I would like to read what I lost against and help (who I feel to be) the best writer win.  I encourage anyone who reads this to do the same.

Next next?  I will go back to the novel I was writing before NaNoWriMo.  No I didn't even come close to winning.  However, I do like where my NaNo novel was going, and I suspect that I will finish that some day too.

Reaction to Reviews

The America's Next Author contest is coming to a close with this week as the last to secure a nomination or wild card spot (however one get's that).  I have gotten mostly positive feedback, which makes me feel amazing and sends me smiling ear to ear, especially if someone gives specific positive feedback.  Negative feedback on the other hand sends waves of irritation streaming through my blood.  There were only a couple that were negative, and after being in multiple creative writing workshops in my life, I have the innate need to defend my work.  I've been letting this simmer for a couple of weeks now and I think it's time to share.

1.  I proof read this piece over and over again.  If there is a misspelled/misused word, incorrect punctuation, or something else, I obviously missed it.  I'm sorry.  No one is perfect.  If it bothers you or you want to help me improve my writing, please email me at tinarazz@yahoo.com and tell me where the errors are, I will be happy to fix them.  I too, have not earned a single penny from writing and cannot afford to pay someone to edit my work.

2.  This is NOT part of some larger story.  I have had many people say that they would like, "more".  There is no more.  I also do not feel that it ended abruptly, 911 was obviously called, the little boy was secluded from everyone else, and we find out he likes fire trucks.  Does it really matter where the knife hit the clown, how serious his injuries were, if he is alive?

3.  I too, have worked with individuals who have autism.  I am sorry if this specific story upsets anyone.  This is one, FICTIONAL, character.  He in no way represents anyone I have ever known or heard of.  I did not set out to scare anyone, but rather illustrate how misunderstood he is by the people around him, including his parents.  There are many people who are misunderstood in the world.  I just wanted the opportunity to get inside this particular character's head.

Well that just about covers it.  I miss the ability to have the dialog with my readers.  I appreciate feedback.  It means someone cared.

Day 6

It's day six and I am working hard on earning my NaNo merit badges.  Today I earned my procrastination badge by cleaning instead of writing.  This was a bad choice because then the dog brought in dirt on my newly cleaned floor.  Worth it?  That's debatable.  However, I did end up writing my daily goal.





I am also officially working on promoting my story, "Counting Blows" in the America's Next Author Competition.  If you read this blog post:  please read my story, vote, review, tweet, like on Facebook and ask others to do the same.  Thanks!

http://www.ebookmall.com/author/tina-morris

NaNoWriMo - Day 5

I've written over my goal 4 of 5 days and not written at all one day.  I did not write a lot over my goal, but if I sat down to write, I made the daily goal mark.  Today I went to Panera to write.  Coffee with free refills?  I'll take it.  Not to mention that I earned (by spending too much money at Panera) a free espresso drink!  So, score on that, looks like I'll go pick that up and write more later this week.

In other NaNo news, I am super stoked for the Rolla Write-in at the Rolla Public Library this Saturday!  I'm hoping to catch up on the day I missed, and get ahead.  It's from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.  I should well exceed my daily goal, with ease.  It generally only takes about an hour to get to my daily goal.

Also, I am really liking Scrivner.  I specifically like the count up to daily word goal and color changing graph. It makes me feel like I am accomplishing something as I go.  When I "win" NaNoWriMo, I will use my coupon from them to buy this product.  I love it!  A little motivation goes a long way for me.

America's Next Author Update:  I have taken the week off and am sitting somewhere in the 70's.  Promotion is hard, and exhausting.  I will push again next week; I think.  I just needed a week to not pour my heart and soul into it.  So if you read this, please prepare now to help me get to number one next week.  How?  Idk Mentally is fine.

Daylight saving time:  I hate it.  Almost dark at 5pm.  I'm going to have to start waking up earlier to take in as much daylight as possible. :( boo