I have also posted my young adult book Marriage is silver on Authonomy. It can be viewed at http://www.authonomy.com/books/42913/marriage-is-silver/
Will be good to get some feedback on this one. The problem with writing is that it's so hard to gauge just how good (or terrible) it is. Some days I think it would be so much easier to strive to be a swimmer, or a tennis player or something like that. The results of their training are far more measurable than this writing business...
I am staying up so late again this week...
29 March 2012
26 March 2012
Putting myself out there
Well this whole writing thing is about having people read your work, right? I've had a manuscript assessment done like 6 years ago, an Allen & Unwin reader and some Vogel Award judges read my work and commented 5 years ago, but I haven't had much feedback lately, except from my husband.
So I am putting Searching for Von Honningsbergs out there on a writers website called Authonomy created by HarperCollins in the UK to sieve through potential manuscripts. It's quite an interesting concept really and congrats to the brains behind it. Authors have to post at least 10,000 words of their manuscript on the site for feedback. The more positive ratings books get, the more they climb up the rankings. At the end of each month, the top 5 ranked books are reviewed by a panel of HarperCollins editors.
You can see part of my manuscript at http://www.authonomy.com/books/42915/searching-for-von-honningsbergs/
So I am putting Searching for Von Honningsbergs out there on a writers website called Authonomy created by HarperCollins in the UK to sieve through potential manuscripts. It's quite an interesting concept really and congrats to the brains behind it. Authors have to post at least 10,000 words of their manuscript on the site for feedback. The more positive ratings books get, the more they climb up the rankings. At the end of each month, the top 5 ranked books are reviewed by a panel of HarperCollins editors.
You can see part of my manuscript at http://www.authonomy.com/books/42915/searching-for-von-honningsbergs/
24 March 2012
Synopsis struggles
I don't like writing birthday cards. What's there to say really? Happy birthday! Blah, blah, blah. I also don't like writing on leaving cards, baby cards or wedding cards. It's all been said before. How original can you be really? I like to think that I could be a writer, but I never know what to write on a god damn card.
Anyway, card rant aside, what I loathe far more than card writing is writing a synopsis. It's a complete struggle for me. I am rewriting my Von Honningsberg synopsis for Momentum Books, as they would like a synopsis of 2-4 pages. In the past I have only been requested to submit a 1-page synopsis, which was always really, really difficult, and could really only give a broad overview of the story. It's actually quite nice to be given the opportunity to flesh it out a bit. However, I am still struggling.
Reading back over my 1-page synopsis that I recently rewrote for submitting the ms to a couple of publishers before Christmas, I almost cringed. You see, since writing that synopsis, I have read Gary Disher's book on writing fiction. I borrowed it from the library, so I don't have it here to refer to, but he basically says that good novel writing is all about conflict. What I think I have failed to do in past synopses is to state what my main character wants, what are his problems and what does he do to resolve them. So this is what I am trying to include in my new longer version.
It makes me rather concerned how hard it is to write a synopsis about this novel. It's a pretty subtle plot really, there isn't a huge amount of drama, or tension, or conflict really. It is more of a character-based story. There are no car chases or killings or anyone really stopping Lawson from doing what he wants to do. Except maybe his boss, and himself, and circumstances. Even his love affair is pretty low key. In a way I think it is real to life. People can have life experiences that aren't life changing can't they? But does this make for a good read?
When writing a synopsis, it's hard to avoid it being a blow by blow account of what happens in the story, he went there, he met her, they did this, then they did that, he said this ... It's also hard to get the flavour of my writing in, when there are characters and themes and so much else to cover.
Anyway, I will keep persisting with it. I was kidding myself that I could get this done my Monday. I am going to adhere to one of my new writing rules, which is to not rush it. It's better to get it right, than to send it off quickly. Besides, if the editor doesn't like my synopsis, they may hardly even look at my manuscript. So there's a lot at stake ... and quite a lot of pressure on those 2-4 pages.
Anyway, card rant aside, what I loathe far more than card writing is writing a synopsis. It's a complete struggle for me. I am rewriting my Von Honningsberg synopsis for Momentum Books, as they would like a synopsis of 2-4 pages. In the past I have only been requested to submit a 1-page synopsis, which was always really, really difficult, and could really only give a broad overview of the story. It's actually quite nice to be given the opportunity to flesh it out a bit. However, I am still struggling.
Reading back over my 1-page synopsis that I recently rewrote for submitting the ms to a couple of publishers before Christmas, I almost cringed. You see, since writing that synopsis, I have read Gary Disher's book on writing fiction. I borrowed it from the library, so I don't have it here to refer to, but he basically says that good novel writing is all about conflict. What I think I have failed to do in past synopses is to state what my main character wants, what are his problems and what does he do to resolve them. So this is what I am trying to include in my new longer version.
It makes me rather concerned how hard it is to write a synopsis about this novel. It's a pretty subtle plot really, there isn't a huge amount of drama, or tension, or conflict really. It is more of a character-based story. There are no car chases or killings or anyone really stopping Lawson from doing what he wants to do. Except maybe his boss, and himself, and circumstances. Even his love affair is pretty low key. In a way I think it is real to life. People can have life experiences that aren't life changing can't they? But does this make for a good read?
When writing a synopsis, it's hard to avoid it being a blow by blow account of what happens in the story, he went there, he met her, they did this, then they did that, he said this ... It's also hard to get the flavour of my writing in, when there are characters and themes and so much else to cover.
Anyway, I will keep persisting with it. I was kidding myself that I could get this done my Monday. I am going to adhere to one of my new writing rules, which is to not rush it. It's better to get it right, than to send it off quickly. Besides, if the editor doesn't like my synopsis, they may hardly even look at my manuscript. So there's a lot at stake ... and quite a lot of pressure on those 2-4 pages.
22 March 2012
Momentum Monday
Some weird coincidences. On my recent holiday, I managed to read most of the articles in the current copy of Ampersand Magazine (this is actually a real luxury for me, given that I am usually pulled away from the weekend newspapers to play matchbox cars or Mother Gothel). Anyway, I read an article by John Birmingham about him agreeing to write some e-books for Momentum Books, a division of Pan Macmillan Australia. He talks about the new world of publishing and the positive opportunities that digital publishing present for both writers and readers. I made a note of Momentum Books on my iphone to research later.
So then today, while having my coffee at my favourite lunchtime cafe, I saw a retweet about Momentum Books calling for submissions. So I checked out their website and read their guidelines. They receive submissions only on Mondays (Momentum Monday) and what I really like is that authors receive the same level of editorial guidance as in their traditional model of publishing.
It got me thinking ... my blog, my website, my twitter account - all named Out of print writer. Are all the stars aligning? Am I really supposed to be an Out of print writer forever? Is digital publishing, the e-book really for me? Is this what I was always meant to do? I'm thinking maybe...
So then today, while having my coffee at my favourite lunchtime cafe, I saw a retweet about Momentum Books calling for submissions. So I checked out their website and read their guidelines. They receive submissions only on Mondays (Momentum Monday) and what I really like is that authors receive the same level of editorial guidance as in their traditional model of publishing.
It got me thinking ... my blog, my website, my twitter account - all named Out of print writer. Are all the stars aligning? Am I really supposed to be an Out of print writer forever? Is digital publishing, the e-book really for me? Is this what I was always meant to do? I'm thinking maybe...
20 March 2012
Rules for writing
So, I have returned from our holiday. It was so lovely to be away with the family. It's our first holiday in two years ... that's what happens I guess when we have a second baby, sell our house and buy another one that we can't really afford, as well as both work part time so that we can both be home with the kids...
Anyway, all that sea air, walks on the beach and rustic rasberry and white chocolate muffins have helped me to feel more positive about this journey to be a writer that I am on...
I have decided on a few new rules for my writing:
- write quickly, get it all out (with lots of xxxx to be filled in later) and edit thereafter
- don't write and send anything off on the same night, there can always be better ideas in the morning
- when editing, think of each line as one would compose a tweet
There are more rules too ... just that I am writing quickly now and can xxxx fill them in again later when it's not so late and I haven't done so many loads of washing xxxx
Anyway, all that sea air, walks on the beach and rustic rasberry and white chocolate muffins have helped me to feel more positive about this journey to be a writer that I am on...
I have decided on a few new rules for my writing:
- write quickly, get it all out (with lots of xxxx to be filled in later) and edit thereafter
- don't write and send anything off on the same night, there can always be better ideas in the morning
- when editing, think of each line as one would compose a tweet
There are more rules too ... just that I am writing quickly now and can xxxx fill them in again later when it's not so late and I haven't done so many loads of washing xxxx
17 March 2012
I am still an out of print writer
So yesterday I received a very succinct rejection for my young adult fiction ms from the Ampersand Project ...
We received an overwhelming amount of very strong manuscripts for this project. From here we are compiling a shortlist, but unfortunately aren’t able to pursue your submission further.
Once the plummeting feeling of rejection had cleared, I was left with an overwhelming feeling of relief. Firstly, the manuscript is not finished and it would have been too rushed to have something ready in the next couple of months. Also something about it didn't feel quite right. I've spent the last eight years working on my Von Honningsberg book so that one deserves to get published first. Not this one ... that has appeared out of almost nowhere.
I'm currently on holiday. I left my laptop at home so that I could free myself from all my writing. It's weird writing a blog entry on my iPhone so I'll leave it there!...
We received an overwhelming amount of very strong manuscripts for this project. From here we are compiling a shortlist, but unfortunately aren’t able to pursue your submission further.
Once the plummeting feeling of rejection had cleared, I was left with an overwhelming feeling of relief. Firstly, the manuscript is not finished and it would have been too rushed to have something ready in the next couple of months. Also something about it didn't feel quite right. I've spent the last eight years working on my Von Honningsberg book so that one deserves to get published first. Not this one ... that has appeared out of almost nowhere.
I'm currently on holiday. I left my laptop at home so that I could free myself from all my writing. It's weird writing a blog entry on my iPhone so I'll leave it there!...
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