A fellow blogger of mine just signed her publishing contract. I just wanted to congratulate her on her success and share the news with my followers because it's always good to share good news in this tough business.
So go check her out at:http://lbdiamond.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/flake-out-friday-my-novels-gonna-be-published-yo/
And celebrate her great news that I hope to share someday.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Self Imposed Deadlines
Since I haven't got a publishing deal yet, I have to set my own deadlines to meet so I can get focused on finishing project. For example, my current deadline is to finish the first chapter of my new project by this Friday so I have something to spin off into a new book. I hope it works out, because sometimes starting a new project is difficult and it's always the first chapter that is the hardest. Once I get that completed it becomes much easier.
So that is my current deadline. What sort of deadlines do you set for yourself and how strict are you on keeping them? I like to keep them just to keep me motivated, but I miss them at times. I don't let it bother me since they are self imposed, but still I like to get in the habit of meeting them.
So that is my current deadline. What sort of deadlines do you set for yourself and how strict are you on keeping them? I like to keep them just to keep me motivated, but I miss them at times. I don't let it bother me since they are self imposed, but still I like to get in the habit of meeting them.
Monday, February 27, 2012
The excitement of a new idea
This past week, I've been mulling over a new story idea. Something different than my normal stuff. It's going to be set a little bit more based in reality with a little bit of a futuristic slant to it. I have written only the opening scene so far, and I am still playing with the name of the main characters. This is probably the most exciting and fun moment in writing. The fresh idea.
It makes you believe anything is possible, lots of tangents flow from your mind and everything seems to click in your mind. The only bummer is that sometimes, when you do this from the seat of your pants like I do, it's hard to focus on the best details, so you go through a lot of fluff.
I could outline, but then that takes some of the excitement out of writing the story, because everything is planned out and organized. I don't know, what do you think about new ideas? Do you love them and cherish them, or do you interrogate them to find whether or not it lives up to the possibilities of being a full fledged novel?
It makes you believe anything is possible, lots of tangents flow from your mind and everything seems to click in your mind. The only bummer is that sometimes, when you do this from the seat of your pants like I do, it's hard to focus on the best details, so you go through a lot of fluff.
I could outline, but then that takes some of the excitement out of writing the story, because everything is planned out and organized. I don't know, what do you think about new ideas? Do you love them and cherish them, or do you interrogate them to find whether or not it lives up to the possibilities of being a full fledged novel?
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Sorry for missing Wednesday, it was a busy day for me and I just didn't get around to posting this then.
I received this game for Christmas this past year and as being a fan of previous Zelda games, I figured it would be worth the price of admission.
Let's start off with the story: this is supposed to be the very first tale in the Zelda universe, yet it doesn't feel that different from any of the other numerous versions. You still know Zelda, she gets lost, you go find her. However, this one has some nice twists and turns along the way, it still follows this format. It's not a bad thing at all, because it works and is reliable. Nothing wrong with that.
The graphics: These are probably the best graphics I have seen on the Wii. Very colorful, vibrant, and didn't have any issues with them.
The controls: I felt that the WiiMotion Plus was a bit much and that is my only downfall with the game. At times I didn't move the sword exactly right and then I would get hit and fall off a ledge. Or my shield wouldn't come out fast enough and I would nailed. Added some unnecessary frustration to the experience. I'm not sure I would like to play another motion control game just because of the sometimes finicky nature of motion controls.
Overall: I felt that the game about an 8 out of 10 for me. I liked most of the experience, but sometimes the controls added frustration where there didn't need to be any.
I received this game for Christmas this past year and as being a fan of previous Zelda games, I figured it would be worth the price of admission.
Let's start off with the story: this is supposed to be the very first tale in the Zelda universe, yet it doesn't feel that different from any of the other numerous versions. You still know Zelda, she gets lost, you go find her. However, this one has some nice twists and turns along the way, it still follows this format. It's not a bad thing at all, because it works and is reliable. Nothing wrong with that.
The graphics: These are probably the best graphics I have seen on the Wii. Very colorful, vibrant, and didn't have any issues with them.
The controls: I felt that the WiiMotion Plus was a bit much and that is my only downfall with the game. At times I didn't move the sword exactly right and then I would get hit and fall off a ledge. Or my shield wouldn't come out fast enough and I would nailed. Added some unnecessary frustration to the experience. I'm not sure I would like to play another motion control game just because of the sometimes finicky nature of motion controls.
Overall: I felt that the game about an 8 out of 10 for me. I liked most of the experience, but sometimes the controls added frustration where there didn't need to be any.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Agent Research
Since I'm in the process of querying, I thought I would share some of the things that I am using to target my agents.
Querytracker.net - Wonderful source of information, including links to a lot of resources and a way to track who you have and have not queried. Also has a great forum. I especially like the quick query button where it makes it easy to send out email queries and it even keeps the query on file so you know what query you used on them.
Agentquery.com - Another resource for agent information. Has details about their previous deals, as well as what they are looking for now.
Facebook - If the agent has a profile, you can usually use their status updates to figure out what sort of project they are looking for right now. Not always, but some agencies also have their own Facebook pages.
Twitter - Love twitter just because of its informality. You get some good personal info on agents if you follow them and as an added bonus get to make connections as well.
Google - Just searching for an agent's name can usually pull up recent interviews for them allowing you to get an idea of current trends and a sense of them as people.
The agent's website - The BEST source for information on recent submission guidelines and details about their policy on whether or not they reply to all queries or if no reply means "no."
These are the main tools that I'm using. What do you do when researching agents? Am I missing any resources that I should be using?
Querytracker.net - Wonderful source of information, including links to a lot of resources and a way to track who you have and have not queried. Also has a great forum. I especially like the quick query button where it makes it easy to send out email queries and it even keeps the query on file so you know what query you used on them.
Agentquery.com - Another resource for agent information. Has details about their previous deals, as well as what they are looking for now.
Facebook - If the agent has a profile, you can usually use their status updates to figure out what sort of project they are looking for right now. Not always, but some agencies also have their own Facebook pages.
Twitter - Love twitter just because of its informality. You get some good personal info on agents if you follow them and as an added bonus get to make connections as well.
Google - Just searching for an agent's name can usually pull up recent interviews for them allowing you to get an idea of current trends and a sense of them as people.
The agent's website - The BEST source for information on recent submission guidelines and details about their policy on whether or not they reply to all queries or if no reply means "no."
These are the main tools that I'm using. What do you do when researching agents? Am I missing any resources that I should be using?
Friday, February 17, 2012
Character Interview - Rebecca
I haven't done an interview in a while so I thought I would do a big one, my main character Rebecca Stevens is joining us today.
So how are you doing today Rebecca?
All right, been sleeping better and really enjoying my abilities again.
I thought you were scared of your abilities? What changed?
I've learned to control them a lot better. Being able to use them in front of other people without being scared helps a lot. My family has been supportive and it's nice for them to accept me.
What have you been up to since... you know everything?
Trying to chill. Trying to be a normal girl again. You know, anything that isn't so stressful.
Have you seen or heard anything regarding The Collector or The Followers?
Some rumors, but nothing that I'm worried about right now.
Are you worried about them coming after you again?
No.
Why not? Didn't they say they wanted you to join them?
I think they're busy with other things. If they do show up I would have to make it clear to them that I'm not interested in joining them.
Doesn't it scare you that they are looking for you?
I try not to think about it. I have my family and friends that I can trust nearby, so if they show up, I think we can handle ourselves. I need to get going as I have some plans to get to, take care.
*Rebecca leaves the area in a hurry.*
There you have it. Rebecca Stevens is just trying to get a hang on things now that her life is a whole lot different than it was before.
So how are you doing today Rebecca?
All right, been sleeping better and really enjoying my abilities again.
I thought you were scared of your abilities? What changed?
I've learned to control them a lot better. Being able to use them in front of other people without being scared helps a lot. My family has been supportive and it's nice for them to accept me.
What have you been up to since... you know everything?
Trying to chill. Trying to be a normal girl again. You know, anything that isn't so stressful.
Have you seen or heard anything regarding The Collector or The Followers?
Some rumors, but nothing that I'm worried about right now.
Are you worried about them coming after you again?
No.
Why not? Didn't they say they wanted you to join them?
I think they're busy with other things. If they do show up I would have to make it clear to them that I'm not interested in joining them.
Doesn't it scare you that they are looking for you?
I try not to think about it. I have my family and friends that I can trust nearby, so if they show up, I think we can handle ourselves. I need to get going as I have some plans to get to, take care.
*Rebecca leaves the area in a hurry.*
There you have it. Rebecca Stevens is just trying to get a hang on things now that her life is a whole lot different than it was before.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
What to do next?
I have finished my fourth novel recently and have had a little trouble figuring out what to do next. I plan to start in March, and have a few ideas. One is a sequel to my most recent novel, just because I love the world I built and the characters. The other is a middle grade novel which would be a new experience and I could learn a lot from writing in a younger voice.
My question is mainly would it be bad to switch genre like that before my first book is ever published or picked up? How hard is it to write for two different age groups, I know Shannon Messenger has done it and so has many others, but do you think it is something that I should attempt?
What sort of planning should I do for my new projects, just like I normally do, from the seat of my pants? Go for some planning this time to make the process a bit shorter in the first round? What do you guys do when you are thinking of doing another project, just dive in head first, plan it out?
My question is mainly would it be bad to switch genre like that before my first book is ever published or picked up? How hard is it to write for two different age groups, I know Shannon Messenger has done it and so has many others, but do you think it is something that I should attempt?
What sort of planning should I do for my new projects, just like I normally do, from the seat of my pants? Go for some planning this time to make the process a bit shorter in the first round? What do you guys do when you are thinking of doing another project, just dive in head first, plan it out?
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