WordPress (?)

So, I'm thinking of switching to WordPress for my blogging and webtacular adventures.  It seems more...professional?  It's a pain though.  I signed up for the site a couple of months ago, but there are so many decisions to be made:  What the title should be?  The (specific) content).  Taking the time to learn the site and it's features.  Ugh.  There are so many other things I should be doing.
1.  Writing a Pitch for my novel.
2.  Fervently editing said novel. 
3.  Getting serious about the title (Yes, it does have a title.  In fact, it has had a few working titles)
4.  FRG training (no that has nothing to do with this novel, but it is something I should be doing)
5.  Vacuuming (I said I would, I should.)
6.  Other things even less exciting.

I am open to ideas, thoughts, and comments.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest

So . . . Amazon has a contest where they publish unpublished novels.  Great!

Just like in the real world, one must submit a pitch, excerpt, and full manuscript.  If the novel is liked by all it gets published!

Unlike the real world, the whole process is rather quick.  There is no contract negotiation if you win (ie you get what they offer or nothing).  It is possible to receive a review, even if your story doesn't win.  Oh and there is voting and reviewing by the people.  Again . . .

Is this something I want to do?  Yes and No.  Resounding no.  But yes.  Yes?  Yes.

I don't know.  This novel has been rejected by three agents.  They are not publishers though.  Nor are they my "fans".  Like those exist yet.  Other than my fantastic family and friends who voted so fervently for me in the America's Next Author Competition.  Can we do this again?  We can try.  Maybe.

The whole deal has to be submitted by January 27, 2013.  I guess I will be combing through it again.  I haven't looked at it, in a while.  Maybe the distance will help me see anything that I must tweak.

Brave face.  Go write a pitch.  Get the excerpt together.  Polish the manuscript.  Enter contest.  Breath.  Hold it together.  Here goes nothing . . . again.

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.