Do not rant about queries do not rant about queries do not rant about queries
Oh, hey.
Didn't see you th-NO I WASN'T THINKING ABOUT COMPLAINING ABOUT QUERIES AND THE BUTT SCRATCHING MONKIES THAT KEEP REJECTING ME!!!!
Shut up, I wasn't even thinking about it.
....
You know what I was thinking about? Because it wasn't writing queries
or sending them
or getting rejected
or trying to become a zombie to make it all easier
or how many hugs my mom will give me before she starts getting sick of my neediness.
I was thinking how I wrote my first quer-BOOK! I was thinking about how I wrote my first book.
Yeah, here it is.
Title- I like the word Scrapper. I should use it as a name. Better yet, I'll make it a book.
First sentence-Dragons! This will be about Dragons! It's so obvious, even from the first line. OHMIGOSH why is Mom watching Pysch without me?
First Chapter-Where the heck did that go? Thieves? What happened to the dragons? No one's going to read this. Might as well give up.
Third Chapter-Wow. I've never written this much before. Maybe I'll actually finish this. Probably not. Should just move on to the next story.
Chapter Six-Persistant little monkey, won't leave me alone!
Chapter Twelve-What's an outline?
Chatper Nineteen-I can't beileve it! I'm going to finish a book! OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! HEY LOOK! SHINY! FOLLOW SHINY!
Chaper Twenty-Hmmm...when was the last time I ate?
Chapter Twenty-One- YES BOOYA I'M AWESOME I RULE I'M THE FREAKING BEST CAN'T TOUCH THIS!!!!!! Haha, that was great.
One year later-Hmmm....It says here I need to send out something called a "query" to get an agent. Ha, easy. People are already begging to read my book, getting an agent will be easy. Just gotta polish it up a bit.
If only I knew......
(See what I did there? It's called foreshadowing. I learned that when I wrote the book.)
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
My First Rejection Follow Up: Why People Sometimes Rock
Remember post I put up today? Well, here's an explanation.
Today during class I got my first rejection letter.
Ten minutes later I got my second.
A half an hour later I got my third.
But that's not what's important. How my friends responded is important.
ShellyCullen: (aka my bestest writer friend who writes some kick-[censored] romance!) - Look Becca, it said they don't have the time for you. That doesn't mean you suck. It doesn't even count.
Casey: They didn't spell unfortunately right, obviously they are illiterate.
Faith: They don't know what they're missing! Keep your head up and preserver!
Raquel: I'd love to sympathize with you Becca, but you really need to stop querying idiots.
Tabby: THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY WILL CRUSH YOUR BALLS BUT YOU WILL HAVE A BEST SELLER SOMEDAY AND THEN YOU WILL CALL ALL THE AGENTS THAT TURNED YOU DOWN AND SHOUT IN THEIR FACES [CENSORED] YEAH! [CENSORED] YOU!
Good ol'Pops: Your Dad's (referring to himself) pretty smart, don't you think? (Awkwardly turned my head around, but he didn't notice). Well, when I got out of law school blah blah blah got rejected a lot and made wallpaper. Don't give up on your dreams.
Sister: Go away Becca.
Mommy: (Just held out her arms and gave me a hug, letting me scream vengeance into her shoulder. Moms rock.)
The moral of the story, kiddies, is that when publishing sucks moms rock.
Today during class I got my first rejection letter.
Ten minutes later I got my second.
A half an hour later I got my third.
But that's not what's important. How my friends responded is important.
ShellyCullen: (aka my bestest writer friend who writes some kick-[censored] romance!) - Look Becca, it said they don't have the time for you. That doesn't mean you suck. It doesn't even count.
Casey: They didn't spell unfortunately right, obviously they are illiterate.
Faith: They don't know what they're missing! Keep your head up and preserver!
Raquel: I'd love to sympathize with you Becca, but you really need to stop querying idiots.
Tabby: THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY WILL CRUSH YOUR BALLS BUT YOU WILL HAVE A BEST SELLER SOMEDAY AND THEN YOU WILL CALL ALL THE AGENTS THAT TURNED YOU DOWN AND SHOUT IN THEIR FACES [CENSORED] YEAH! [CENSORED] YOU!
Good ol'Pops: Your Dad's (referring to himself) pretty smart, don't you think? (Awkwardly turned my head around, but he didn't notice). Well, when I got out of law school blah blah blah got rejected a lot and made wallpaper. Don't give up on your dreams.
Sister: Go away Becca.
Mommy: (Just held out her arms and gave me a hug, letting me scream vengeance into her shoulder. Moms rock.)
The moral of the story, kiddies, is that when publishing sucks moms rock.
I Just Received My First Rejection...
 |
| Cartoon From Bo's Cafe Life |
Guy's, seriously, it's okay. I made sure to kill my soul long before I started writing.
....
Who am I kidding? This sucks. But is it weird that I'm a bit proud of myself at the same time? I mean, the first rejection is a very special occasion. It's when you decide if you can really deal with fifty more in order to publish your book. And if you can't, well, then you'll not only save a lot of your time but I a lot a small fortune in chocolate. And well...
I've decided to say to hell with it and went with the chocolate. I mean, at least the agent responded. They could have...not...responded.
Yeah, my heart's just not in it today. Come back when I've got a offer.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Scared to Death of Being a Teen Writer?
 | ||
| Is this you? I hope not...-_- |
It's the fear of them not being taken seriously.
Fun little story here for you, it took me a full year to decide to get published. I mean, yes, it has always been a dream of mine to hit the shelves. But it took me a year and about the relentless efforts of fifteen different people to convince me to go after publishing before I graduated. And I wasn't even planning to make Scrapper my debut novel. I wanted to gain more experience in the industry, both with the business and the craft with another, less important book. And since then I've spent the better part of my summer and school year getting to know the industry inside out (if that is even possible, which I'm sure it's not) and going over ever painstaking detail of my drafts before I dared to deem myself acceptable. (I studied Nathan Bransford's blog like it was the bible. I'm sure that's some sort of blasphemy, but whatever.) And then it took me two weeks to believe it when I told my imaginary friends. (Mostly because one of them just kept on shaking their head and laughing.)
Yes, I know teens younger then me have gotten published. But it's still so hard to believe. And here's some reasons why.
1) I use a pen name.
Now stay with me here, I have a genuine reason as too why this worries me. I have talked to many people who have told me that while it is ultimately my decision I should not use it. They say it's usually only used for people who really need it. And my friend in the ALA told me that some might see me using a fake name as some sort of immaturity. But here's the deal, by time I realized this I was already very well know on the internet as Becca Lathorn. It's taken me a long time to build up all that rep, and I'd rather not have to build it up again.
2) Scrapper is a Paranormal YA.
It's, as I fear it being seen as, a stereotype. (Curse you Twilight.) And while I have been a life long addict of anything paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy or otherwise, the fact of the matter is, I am a teenager writing paranormal. But wait, it gets worse. There is some romance in it. Granted, it's not the main point of the series, but the fact that there is a love interest is enough. I feel like I'm nailing my own coffin here monkeys.
*Yes, there are technically vampires in my series.
Keep in mind, I started coming up with this idea long before the days of Twilight. And while I am not a particular fan of Vampires, I felt I needed to fill a gap. See, without spoiling anything, one of the species in my books are called Thieves. They are suppose to be a spawn point for all other species in the planet I've created. They have the strength, endurance, and instinct of werewolves, the magically capabilities of gypsies, and the grace and intellect of __________. See, there's something missing. I could have filled that with mermaids or vampires. And I'm sorry, but I save mermaids for my romantic comedies. And vampires just happened to be dark enough to fill the plot. In the rag-tag group of main characters, there are no vampires though. They are just there to take up space. (Wasted space, might I add.)
3) I don't live in New York.
Shut up monkeys, it's a legit point of concern.
4) What if secretly everyone I know has been lying to me and my writing is truly crap?
I have no time to explain the multiple conspiracy theories I have in my head, so I'll just leave it at that.
Having all that said, I sent out my first query two days ago.
Excuse me while I go throw up.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Writing Meetings and Broken Computers
MONKEYS AND BALLOONS! MY LAPTOP IS BROKEN!
Thankfully, the only thing broken was the is the back light. All my data is safe, including all my Scrapper files and other odd workings. The ever faithful servant Pedro has not yet failed me. I was able to safely back them all up on a hard drive and a dropbox. But still, sucks having a broken computer. -_- My parents tell me that Pedro is a piece of junk and that I should splurg and get a new laptop while the after-christmas deals are still ripe. And honestly, sorry Pedro, but I'm thinking about it.
So anyway, winter break has been exhausting, perhaps more so then school itself. See, while I have no academic responsibilities, I have to step it up with writing. I think you all know what I mean. It's that time...
Time for queries.
Now I understand the pure grating anxiety behind them. I haven't even sent one out yet and I'm practically peeing my pants. (Almost makes me happy that Pedro is broken.) Meanwhile, as I sit by my fifth consecutive cup of tea that smells more like lemon pledge then anything edible, I think of how I and my fellow tribes folk have finally met in person. Yes, that's right monkeys, we've finally had our first writing. meeting. It had a sort of magic feeling in the air as we talked for hours about Stephanie Meyer, Justin Bieber, the upcoming apocalypse and the many different wonderfully ways it might go down. (Twilight Fan Girls, Zombies, Robots, Toasters, me behind the wheel of a car, and let's not count out the dinosaurs that have been hiding underground for thousands of years waiting for their chance to rise again and take the planet that was rightfully theirs to begin with.) I can't wait for the next time we meet up! It'll be great! Perhaps we could talk about how to take over the world once everyone is gone. (Muahahahaha).
All the Best! Becca
Thankfully, the only thing broken was the is the back light. All my data is safe, including all my Scrapper files and other odd workings. The ever faithful servant Pedro has not yet failed me. I was able to safely back them all up on a hard drive and a dropbox. But still, sucks having a broken computer. -_- My parents tell me that Pedro is a piece of junk and that I should splurg and get a new laptop while the after-christmas deals are still ripe. And honestly, sorry Pedro, but I'm thinking about it.
So anyway, winter break has been exhausting, perhaps more so then school itself. See, while I have no academic responsibilities, I have to step it up with writing. I think you all know what I mean. It's that time...
Time for queries.
Now I understand the pure grating anxiety behind them. I haven't even sent one out yet and I'm practically peeing my pants. (Almost makes me happy that Pedro is broken.) Meanwhile, as I sit by my fifth consecutive cup of tea that smells more like lemon pledge then anything edible, I think of how I and my fellow tribes folk have finally met in person. Yes, that's right monkeys, we've finally had our first writing. meeting. It had a sort of magic feeling in the air as we talked for hours about Stephanie Meyer, Justin Bieber, the upcoming apocalypse and the many different wonderfully ways it might go down. (Twilight Fan Girls, Zombies, Robots, Toasters, me behind the wheel of a car, and let's not count out the dinosaurs that have been hiding underground for thousands of years waiting for their chance to rise again and take the planet that was rightfully theirs to begin with.) I can't wait for the next time we meet up! It'll be great! Perhaps we could talk about how to take over the world once everyone is gone. (Muahahahaha).
All the Best! Becca
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Did Ya Miss Me Monkeys?
^That is me and my friend with two small asian children. Gotta love kids.^
OMG YES I KNOW IT'S BEEN TO LONG!
~Ahem~ Happy Holidays...
Is what terrorists say. Merry Christmas!
(See what I did there? That was a 30 Rock quote people, try to keep up.)
Can you tell that I'm hyper? Yes, it's because on top of taking a rather lovely and unexpected vacation from writing I got everything I wanted for Christmas. (A video game and a book, my life is so glamorous monkeys.) And someone told me the weirdest thing in the world. My friend was trying to convince me (omg guys, your not even going to believe this) that Santa doesn't exist. I know, total bull, am I right?
But now I'm back on the publishing/writing/video editing/video gaming/group organizing/ninja-ing/monkey bashing/twilight bashing/secret agenting train, and this train is GOING PLACES! I'll be back to doing inspirational blogs next week, so don't worry.
On My Night Stand- Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Managing Your Time
Status Update:
So, sadly, I did not finish NaNoWriMo this year. Too many people wanted me to do too much, so it got away from me. So, that actually leads me into today's topic.
Managing your time.
To much to do, not enough time? Want to just say "Screw it!" and lock yourself in your room with the NEW ZELDA GAME YO and fifty bags of popcorn? (By the by, Me and my Zelda buddy got the collector's edition with the Golden Wii Mote and all, so yeah, be jealous.) I get you, I really do. I'm a Junior in High School (hurray for stupid ACTs), I volunteer at my church every Sunday for nursery, Worship Band, Youth Group Worship Band, and video editing, and I spend a lot (too much time really) with my family.
How can anyone find the time to write a book?
Here's some tips to help.
1) Keep a realistic schedule.
Honest, people, it's that simple. Make a schedule. And no, not to keep things organized, but to give your friends a good excuse to LEAVE YOU THE HECK ALONE!!! (Like my sister, who is singing Justin Bieber in face right now)
Mom: Hey Becca, can you empty the dishwasher?
Me: Ohhhhhh, sorry. I have to write all day. Let me check, with my secretary, see if I can pencil you in.
Mom: But-
Me: Mom, tick tock. Time is money.
2) Prioritize!!
Here it goes people. First and foremost, as much as I hate to say it and you hate to hear it, school first kiddies. And if you are really dedicated to writing, you need to put that in front of social time. Sorry, sad truths.
3) If it comes down too it, you might have to give something up.
Again, this only applies to those of you who are really serious about writing. If there is too much in your life for you to fit writing in, somethings got to give. Now I'm no hypocrite, I have been seriously considering dropping stuff at church to make more time.
That's all I got. Hope it helps!
So, sadly, I did not finish NaNoWriMo this year. Too many people wanted me to do too much, so it got away from me. So, that actually leads me into today's topic.
Managing your time.
To much to do, not enough time? Want to just say "Screw it!" and lock yourself in your room with the NEW ZELDA GAME YO and fifty bags of popcorn? (By the by, Me and my Zelda buddy got the collector's edition with the Golden Wii Mote and all, so yeah, be jealous.) I get you, I really do. I'm a Junior in High School (hurray for stupid ACTs), I volunteer at my church every Sunday for nursery, Worship Band, Youth Group Worship Band, and video editing, and I spend a lot (too much time really) with my family.
How can anyone find the time to write a book?
Here's some tips to help.
1) Keep a realistic schedule.
Honest, people, it's that simple. Make a schedule. And no, not to keep things organized, but to give your friends a good excuse to LEAVE YOU THE HECK ALONE!!! (Like my sister, who is singing Justin Bieber in face right now)
Mom: Hey Becca, can you empty the dishwasher?
Me: Ohhhhhh, sorry. I have to write all day. Let me check, with my secretary, see if I can pencil you in.
Mom: But-
Me: Mom, tick tock. Time is money.
2) Prioritize!!
Here it goes people. First and foremost, as much as I hate to say it and you hate to hear it, school first kiddies. And if you are really dedicated to writing, you need to put that in front of social time. Sorry, sad truths.
3) If it comes down too it, you might have to give something up.
Again, this only applies to those of you who are really serious about writing. If there is too much in your life for you to fit writing in, somethings got to give. Now I'm no hypocrite, I have been seriously considering dropping stuff at church to make more time.
That's all I got. Hope it helps!
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