Don't Panic!

Wow, has it really been over a month since I posted? For the three of you who check back regularly, I sincerely apologize and as soon as this revision is put to bed and tucked in I should have the brainpower left to have something interesting to say here on the blog.

I got my second round of revision notes on The-Book-Formerly-Known-As-Destined (as some of you know, PC Cast is coming out with a book called Destined at about the same time, so basically, she wins the title contest) and as always, my first response is to panic, brush back tears and shake my head as I read the three single-spaced pages of notes, knowing deep in the pit of my stomach that there is no way I can possible fix all of the millions of things that are still wrong with this book. And we're not talking misplaced commas here. We're talking notes like: the overarching sense of danger is lacking...I found this plot point difficult to accept...this whole thing needs more of a build up...and...you should give up writing altogether because you obviously have no talent. Okay, so I might have read between the lines on that last one. After an hour or so of wallowing, I usually go take a shower and when I emerge and read the letter over again, things are looking...if not doable, then at least remotely possible.

By the sixth time I've read the letter, I'm starting to see what my editor means. At this point, we usually start an epic email back and forth where I write comments or questions and she answers them in another color. I answer back in another color and this goes on for awhile until we have a veritable rainbow of possible solutions to the big issues. We've found over the past couple of years, that we both like email rather than phone conversations because we can print them out and refer back to them as we go. Plus the colors are pretty when you print it all out.

About this time, I usually call my BWB (best writing buddy) Daisy. She's read an early draft and knows enough about the book to be able to bring me back from the edge of the cliff. We talk possibilities from the insane (should V be the reincarnation of Hitler?) to the reasonable (maybe cutting this kissing scene, however painful, will move the plot along faster). Everyone needs someone who's not being paid to work on their book help them out. She can take a step back and help me see the big picture that is now completely lost to me.

By the end of the first day after notes come, the panic has ebbed and I'm starting to see a light at the end of this process. That maybe it just might work after all. That the book, when all is said and done, might not completely suck. It might just be...dare I say it...pretty awesome.

I guess the message in all of this is that when you get a critique, whether from your editor or your critique partner, don't panic. Don't email them right back, screaming about the fact that there is no way this is all going to get done. Don't get angry that they want to change big parts of your plot and kill some of your darlings. Put it away for a little bit, and when you come back, read each sentence slowly until it begins to make sense. A little time and common sense can do wonders. A big bag of Starburst jelly beans left over from Easter doesn't hurt either.

Almost Done!

I've been gone. I'm sorry. I've literally been spending every waking hour (and a couple that weren't so waking) in my kitchen chair working on the revision for the-book-that-was-called-Destined. I'm about to turn in this revision so that my editor can have another crack at it and send it back to me one more time in a few weeks.

When I'm writing, I can't read fiction. I don't know if it has to do with lack of confidence or what, but reading good books brings me down, so I tend to read writing books - usually Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott or On Writing by Stephen King. This time around, my buddies Robin and Eve recommended Save the Cat and Save the Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder.

So far, I've read both of them cover to cover twice in the hopes that all of his great advice will be implanted in my brain by osmosis. The books are about screenwriting, but there is so much good stuff in there for fiction writers, I can't recommend them highly enough.

By using some of Blake's techniques, I've turned this:



Into this:



Because I can never use something right out of the box, I adapted his methods a little bit to suit how I do things but it is really helpful to see everything right out in front of me. I can swap scenes around and find something in seconds without having to rifle through all 300+ pages trying to remember where I had a particular character say a particular thing.

Better pacing? Check. Better character motivation? Check. New title? Um.....

Set in My Ways

There have always been three things I've needed to write: laptop, coffee and total silence. I've never been able to work with the radio or music on - I don't even really like it if other people are in the house. I wrote most of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS with earplugs in and noise-canceling headphones on because even though there was nothing playing, people were less likely to bug me and ask me to make them a sandwich or something.

I got my edits for the-book-formerly-known-as-DESTINED last week and there is a lot of editing and rewriting involved. Most things are still the same. I still work in the kitchen (although it's a different kitchen this time), I still drink way too much coffee and I'm still wearing headphones. Except now, there is constantly music coming through them, which is weird to me.

It started because I would listen to Foster the People before every writing session to get in the mood. I've watched this video so many times that if this book ever does get finished I'm seriously going to have to put them in the acknowledgments.


I've always liked listening to music before I write to set the tone, just not during. The guys are so adorable and the video makes me think back to when I lived in SF right after college, going to clubs and watching bands. And the new book is set mostly in the Haight, so it makes sense. Then it changed to listening to them and the Black Keys over and over while I was writing to keep me in the mood. The past couple of days it's been non-stop Pandora through the headphones, something like six or seven hours a day. And it seems to be working. Characters are talking, scenes are flowing. Who knew?

Just goes to show that new stuff can sometimes work. But I'm never giving up my coffee. Ever.

The LitChicks - DASH AND LILY'S BOOK of DARES

The LitChicks are back this week, and this time Leisl's up with her recommendation:

DASH & LILY’s BOOK of DARES by Rachael Cohn & David Levithan
I know they always say ‘Don't judge a book by its cover’ but I'm convinced that it's second nature. We don't mean to, we just do. That's what happened with this book. Believe it or not the reason I chose this book was because of the heart on the traffic light thing. The cute cover aside..this was a good book.

This book is about a boy named Dash who finds this red notebook on a shelf in a bookstore one day, and as any curious human being would do, he read it. Inside were a series of questions that led to a dare. Ihe writer , a girl named Lily, gave the reader of the notebook directions to follow and then they ended up having a sort of joint journal type thing going with little dares & adventures mixed in. The story is set during Christmastime and Dash hates everything about Christmas while Lily loves everything about it, so they learn about each other and then in the end they meet each other amidst a string of events.

It's a very fun idea and I found that the characters were relatable and fun to read about. Makes me want to start my own dare book.

Dirty Little Secrets - After

By far, the question I get most often about DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS is: What happened after the book ends? People want to know what happened to Lucy, if she stayed with Josh, where she lived and if she and Kaylie stayed friends.

I ended DLS a bit abruptly because I felt that that was where this part of Lucy's story ended. If you look closely, you can get some hints about what happens next. A lot of people like it that way - curtain down, end of story. Apparently, a lot of people don't and really want to know what happens after page 210. For those people, I bring you...THE LAST CHAPTER.

Click on that link and you will be able to read AFTER, the last chapter of the book that is only available on my website. There you will find the answers to a lot of questions about what happens after page 210, but I warn you - ONLY READ THE LAST CHAPTER AFTER YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK. I'm serious about that. There are HUGE spoilers that IMHO will ruin the regular reading of DLS.

Lucy and I hope you enjoy!

Paperback Writer

The paperback of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS releases tomorrow!!! In addition to the story, there are 15 reading group questions as a bonus to get the discussion started that are exclusive to this edition. In honor of the facelift, I am giving away TWO copies of the paperback. Because I am lazy and in the middle of revisions for the next book, all you have to do is comment below in order to be entered. International entries welcome. I will choose two winners at random at 8pm tomorrow night PDT.

Special Announcement - did you read DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS? Are you wondering what happened to Lucy? Did she stay with Josh? Did she ever tell anyone her secrets? Come back here tomorrow for the key that will get you the answers to these questions and more. VERY VERY SPOILERY. Only for those who have already read the book. So go do that and we'll see you back here.

The Myth of the Gatekeepers

Nathan Bransford had an interesting blog post this morning about the 99-cent Kindle Millionaires. As I scrolled down to the comments section, I was waiting to see the word that always pops up whenever anyone is talking about self-publishing and I wasn't disappointed. The very first commenter gave a big thumbs up for anyone brave enough to get around the 'gatekeepers' of editors and agents.

The word gatekeepers always conjures up visions of high stone towers with agents and editors poised at the top with automatic weapons, ready to shoot down any new author who dares to try to enter the traditional publishing world. Here's the thing about gatekeepers like this - there aren't any.

Agents and editors don't exist to keep new authors out of the system. On the contrary, they are hungry for new talent and everyone wants to be the person with the next big thing. They comb their submissions looking for great writing and amazing new ideas. There were thousands of debut children's books published last year (I tried to find the exact number, but it is safe to say thousands.). So if you have submitted your writing and are getting nothing but rejections, it's not because the gatekeepers are barring your way.

It's because your work isn't ready.

Go back to the drawing board. Put that piece away and start working on something else. Go to some conferences or take some writing seminars. Get a great and honest critique group or at least one person who knows what they are doing who can help you get your next book in 'unpassable' shape.

The very first novel I wrote still hasn't sold, and I'm glad. When I look back at it there were so many things wrong with that manuscript that if it had been published, I'd cringe to look at it. Thank goodness for the agents and editors who gave me the time to hone my craft and get my writing up to a publishable level - and allowed me to be proud of that first book.

I'm not a fan of self-publishing. There, I said it. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kindle - the process of thinking about reading a book and actually reading it within two minutes is awesome. It's self-published books whether in print or ebook form that I don't like. I got in an argument with a good friend at a recent conference because he said being a self-publishing hater was downright un American. These people were the pioneers of the new literary frontier, they were taking matters into their own hands, going around the traditional establishment and making their own money. Right. I have no problem with all of that. There is one thing that keeps me from being a proponent of self-publishing: most self published books aren't very good. I have yet to read one that wouldn't have benefited from a heavy-handed editor or frankly, just more time honing their craft.

So what's the problem with that? So there are a bunch of mediocre self-published books out there. Who does it hurt? In my opinion, everyone. Most readers don't take the time to find out who published a book - whether it came from a big publishing house or a box in the author's garage. They just pick up a title and give it a try and if over and over again the quality of the writing is poor, how long is it until they decide that reading is a waste of time? That books today aren't well-written and that they'd spend their time better with Snooki and the gang at the Jersey Shore?

Apply the same principal to becoming a pilot. Let's say you spend a lot of time playing Apache Air Assault on Xbox and you routinely beat all your friends. You decide that you want to be a pilot, but don't want to waste time with flight school or those pesky tests. You put on that pilot's uniform and take the wheel of the nearest jumbo jet. How many planes would have to crash before the flying public decides that train travel is looking more appealing? (Yes, I did just compare writing fiction to something potentially life-threatening.)

I do think there is a place for self published non-fiction books. I know someone who is self publishing a book on a very specific method for playing blackjack and I think it will do well. There is a built-in audience for that kind of book and he has a 'platform' already set up so that people will go looking for his book. Unless you're a very well-known fiction author (or celebrity - don't get me started), that probably won't happen for you. Yes, I know there are a few (a very few) who are making money self-publishing ebooks. but these are the exception rather than the rule and I think that once the curiosity factor wears off, it will get even more difficult.

I do think that this will all sort itself out. I have to believe that the publishing industry will figure out an ebook model that works for everyone that will allow readers to get the books they want and writers to afford to create them. That a great book can still get a lot of traction by word of mouth and that quality writing will triumph in the end.

According to this NYT op-ed piece, 81% of Americans want to write a book. At the same time, only 15% of Americans regularly read books. Gatekeepers or not, to me, this seems to be the real problem.