The Beta Returns

Just for fun, I thought I'd share with you the range of emotion I experienced last night as I checked my email to find my crit notes from my Super Awesome Beta.

Now, I opened my email unsuspecting, thinking maybe there'd be some spam, but that's about it.  Then my eyes sorta bugged out:

 

Holy spamoley that was fast!  And suddenly my brain morphs into OMGSHEHATEDIT mode, and I looked more like this:

 

Once I got my wits about me enough to open the email, things started to look up. AKA the time where my brain goes ohthankGODshemightstilltalktome.  (My brain is very dramatic, but you all know this by now. lol)   So that looked more like this:

 

Then I got really brave and opened the file to see the in-line comments.  That's when I got a little...um...this...

Lots of work still to do, my friends, but I know I'm headed in the right direction now!  EEEEE!!

Tell me, do you go through the same sorts of thoughts and emotions when you get feedback? 

Fun With Betas

I have awesome writer friends -- a bunch of them, in fact.  One conversation I had with Erinn this past weekend really highlighted all the attributes of my splendiferous group.  Read on, and prepare to giggle with us... (Or at us, you know, whatever.)

We were talking about an awesome MS we've both beta'd and this happened...

Me: I told her to get to work on book 2 lol

Erinn:  ME TOO!

Me: hahaha I wanna know what happens!

Are the {Characters} good or bad?!  I can't decide!

Erinn:  I KNOW!!!

It's awesome.

Me: It is.

Very awesome.

I kinda want to email her and make her tell me...because I'm impatient like that.

Erinn:  Do it, she'll love it.

Me:  Actually, I kinda want to blog about this exchange... lol

Erinn:  Do that too.

Me:  A "This is how you know you've got awesome writer friends" post

Me:  1 - You get texts throughout the day ranging from freaked out to excited because of Agent's tweets.

2 - You have awesome debates over IM about the awesome MS you both beta'd.

3 - Then you talk about what an awesome blog post it'll make. lmao

Erinn:  NICE

Me:  4 - You realize how many times you just used the word awesome.

Erinn:  5- You're sort of ashamed your vocab sucks so bad, because you know you're supposed to be a writer.

6- You say fuck it because anyone who uses big words sucks anyway and the word awesome is awesome.

Me:  HAHAHAHAHA

Yep, totally blogging this.

Erinn:  Nice

Me:  Do you wish to be named in the post or no?

Erinn:  YES NAME ME

 

Why yes, yes we do.

 

There you have it.  A typical conversation with one of my AWESOME writer friends.  I <3 my writer buddies.  They're all super awesome.

Having someone to share all of these moments with, all the ups and downs and nerves and triumphs and upsets is, well...  Awesome.

The First Novel

Inspired by my sister's creation on her blog, I've written you a little Christmas tune of my own.  Enjoy...

The First Novel

The first Novel the author did say
Was to certain poor betas in computers they say;
In computers they read, critiquing their peeps,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Novel, Novel, Novel, Novel,
Born is the next J.K. Rowling.
 
The apostrophes are ragged and weak
Slow down the pacing, and show me, don't tell.
Your prose is slight, try beefing it up.
And don't let me see you slacking, I'll beat you up.
Novel, Novel, Novel, Novel,
Born is the next Stephanie Meyer.

You've busted your butt, sing your praises out loud;
You sure have made your crit partner proud,
And with this manuscript you'll land that deal
With it will come the most awesome squeal.
Novel, Novel, Novel, Novel,
Born is the next Suzanne Collins.

Insanity

As promised, the insanity that is me when I get excited about something - captured on video.  Yes, I speak of my trip to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part one.  Along for the ride were my sister and brother-in-law, who are just as crazy as me...which makes for lots of fun when you're sitting in line for over three hours.

We went to the 10:45pm showing on Friday night and the crowds were still insane. The line went all the way down the theater hallway, wrapped back around and went out into the atrium area.  In the end they had to make our line about four rows deep.  Nuts.

So, want proof of my randomness and propensity to giggle at everything?  Here it is...

And then I thought I'd try to interview Super BIL...

Gotta love the awesome people you meet at these kind of shows...

And of course, with any making of a movie you're going to have some bloopers...

There were a lot more videos made, but you get the idea.

Doesn't that make you want to go to a movie with me?  lol  My sister calls me her personal entertainment system.  :)  I hope you all enjoyed a dose of my insanity.  We had a crazy good time, and the movie was awesome.

And Emma Watson?  OMG  She rocked this movie, let me tell ya.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays.  Much more insanity ensued on black Friday for the fearsome duo of my sister and me.  Unfortunately (or perhaps more fortunately) no videos were taken.  :)

Have a great Monday!

Friday Fun

This handwriting meme was passed to me by Glenna, and now I'm passing it to you!

1) Name & Blog Name2) Right or left handed, or both?3) Favorite letters to write?4) Least favorite?5) Write 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.' Not sure why some of these turned out blurry. I did them all the same way. Stupid scanner.6) Write the following words in CAPS: crab, humor, kaleidoscope, pajamas, gazillion.7.) Write your favorite lyrics. Again with the stupid scanner.

8) Tag seven people. Susan, LTM, Jess, Sandy, Alicia, Janet, and Jen!

9) Include a special drawing or doodle. Well, it was all colorful until Stupid Scanner got hold of it.

Saturday Surprise!

An answer to my truths and lies!

1. I have the biggest sweet tooth ever. - LIE! I very rarely eat sweets believe it or not.
   
2. My favorite type of food is Italian. - LIE! Mexican food, baby!
   
3. I cannot stand going to the beach...the sand sticks to you and creepy crawlies in the water...yuck! - LIE! I freaking love the beach...and swimming in the ocean!
   
4. I have inspirational sayings plastered across my office walls. - TRUTH!
   
5. I do nothing by a schedule -- wing it all! - LIE! A big fat lie. I plan everything, and drive my sister crazy with it.
   
6. I do not, in fact, have an itinerary already set for my trip to HP world. - LIE! I do. Glenna totally nailed me on this one.
   
7. Super Spawn is actually an evil genius in disguise as a 3 year old.- LIE! Apart from his likeness to Stewie, I fully expect Super Spawn to save the world some day.
   

So, I'd like to pass my "Creative Blogger" award on to these lovely bloggers:

Erinn
Susan
Alicia

Slacker Blogger Alert

Warning: You have entered the slacker blogger zone. The slacker blogger can be vicious if provoked.

Ways to identify the slacker blogger:

1. The blog schedule begins to topple to the way side.
2. You get completely random posts that make no sense.
3. Drool may be dripping from his/her mouth.
4. There is an excess of candy wrappers laying about.
5. You see something like this:
   
   

Friday Afternoon Randomness

Sitting at my desk after lunch sucking on a jolly rancher (which I keep in my candy jar for daily use) inspiration struck.

Sing this to the Toys-R-Us tune. I promise it will brighten your day immensely.

I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Harry Potter kid.
There's a million toys in HP World that I can play with.
From pygmy puffs to secret sensors, it’s the best magic store there is!
I don’t wanna grow up because if I did, I wouldn’t be a Harry Potter kid!

*Takes a bow*

You're welcome. It'll be stuck in my head for the next century.

Friday Fun

I won a prize over at That's Write this week! (Thanks, Leigh!) So a review of Perfect Chemistry will be coming soon.

Also, have you checked out Adventures In Children's Publishing's line-by-line contest? I made it to the top 25 finalists! You can help the people who didn't make the cut by critiquing their first five lines. Hop on over and see if you have any helpful advice.

And did you see THIS?! The LOL Cat version of Eclipse!! Epic.



Well, my end-of-book sudden revisions are nearly done! Woot! Bonus? They're awesome!! lol Seriously though, the ending is MUCH stronger now. Yay me!

Have a great weekend everyone, see you Monday!!

Okay, GotYA killed me this morning with this, so it MUST be added. Hysterical!!!!! Go check out their post today.

Friday Fun

Turns out I'm a cupcake!! See! (It's because of my affection for exclamation points, isn't it?)

Holly's Result: Cupcakes

on quiz: What Kind of Writerly Snack Are You?

Who: Industry insiders. When: To celebrate. To sob. At meetings. Whenever anyone's headed out for an errand - Hey! Grab me a Sprinkles on your way back! Why: Tender cake and lush frosting? Yes, please. You know what makes the publishing world go 'round.

Fun quiz! Thank you YAHighway for always bringing the awesome! It seems fitting -- we're having cupcakes at Super Spawn's party tomorrow.




On another note...don't you love it when your crit partner is EXACTLY right and you have to go back and change a bajillion things in your MS?

I do!! lol Sure, it's work, but it's so worth it. A special shout out and thanks goes to Susan today! She is so right.

Cupcakes for her too!


Okay, before I get distracted by more yummy snack talk. Most helpful post this week came from agent Mary Kole at Kidlit.com. This post is about tricking yourself for better revisions. A genius idea, really. She says to change the font on your MS and print the pages. It makes you slow down because the words look different, which helps you see errors more easily.

I'm totally trying it, once I finish this round of revisions, for a final polish.

That's all for today! Have a great weekend, my lovelies, and I'll see you on Monday.

Road Trip Wednesday

What do you guys think of the new layout? Easier to read than the last one? I'm diggin' the pink.


"Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic."

If your favorite fictional characters used FML, what would they write?

Today, I found out the boy I'm in love with wants to kill me. Oh, and he's a vampire. FML ~Bella

I'm cursed to have a baby at seventeen and then go crazy. FML ~Lucy (Impossible)

I have to marry Humperdinck? FML ~Buttercup

You mean I could have gone outside this whole time? FML ~Bree Tanner

I built the house of bricks, so naturally my stupid brothers come running to me for help. FML ~The 3rd pig

I sacrificed myself for my sister, and now I am facing certain death, just so I can fall in love...FML ~Katniss

I'm stuck in a cottage with 7 little men. FML ~Snow White

I fell in love with a big hairy beast. FML ~Belle

My step mother locks me in a room and makes me clean up after her and her two slob kids FML ~Cinderella

Okay, that was really hard! I'm not so great at these it would seem. Fun anyway. Can't wait to read everyone else's!

Tipsy Tuesday- The Full Moon Edition

How NOT to become a werewolf under the full moon:

1. Do not, under any circumstances, hang out with sparkly vampires.
2. Avoid all contact with anyone named Bella.
3. Don't work out. Muscles = Werewolf
4. If you're suddenly struck with a 105 degree fever, go to the hospital. It is NOT mono.
5. Don't get mad, get glad!

And if you're a Twilight fan, you can read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner online for free right now! Just click the link!


And why not have a Bloody Mary while you read?

1 oz Smirnoff® No. 21 Vodka
3 oz tomato juice
2 red hot sauce
2 green hot sauce
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
0.5 oz lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 stalk celery

Friday Fun

So, my lovelies, what's fun about this Friday? Lots of cool stuff to report!

I won a contest this week! Over on Eleana Johnson's blog, and I'm totally excited!

AND I hit 30 followers this week! You guys are awesome, that's the truth.

All of this excitement makes me want to have a contest of my own. Then I'll have an excuse to use a bunch more of these - !!!!!

Tell ya what, I'll start scheming, planning, begging, and whatever else it takes to come up with some cool prizes. And when I hit 50 followers, we'll have that contest, oh yes we will!

For now, I'll leave you with some of those inspirational quotes I mentioned in Tuesday's post.

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain

I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent re-writer. ~James Michener

Writing is physical work. It's sweaty work. You just can't will yourself to become a good writer. You really have to work at it. ~Will Haygood

A writer never has a vacation. For a writer life consists of either writing or thinking about writing. ~Eugene Ionesco

Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel shit from a sitting position. ~Stephen King

We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to. ~Somerset Maugham

Being a good writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the Internet. ~Anonymous

Road Trip Wednesday

This week's topic is epic, guys. Head on over to YAHighway to see everyone's answers!

What tattoo would you get to celebrate your book's success OR in honor of a favorite book?

I think this is so much fun. While I'd probably never get a tattoo in honor of a favorite book, I would certainly consider the idea if my own book came a big success.

But what would I get? That is the question. I'm a terribly indecisive person, and something so...permanent...well, that throws an extra bout of anxiety on the stockpile.

If it were Emerald's Keeper that made it to successdom (Ha, yes, I know that's not a word, but it's fun!) maybe I'd get a stylized EK. Something like this...

What about you? What kind of tattoo would you consider in honor of a book- either your own or an all time favorite?

Tipsy Tuesday- What I've Learned

Not to make myself sound all important or anything, 'cause let's face it- I'm a rather newb to all of this. But, I thought I'd share a few of things I've learned over the course of writing my novels, and the ridiculous amount of editing I've done.
Without further ado, the writing process:

1. Don't stress out over the first draft, just write it.
   
2. Yay, I'm done! Wait, revisions? Oh, you mean more work? But I just wrote a novel!
   
3. Realize a shortcoming- My absolute favorite word to abuse is said. Everybody said something. Just ask my crit partner- she'll nod her head and confirm that she did, in fact, have to bust me over the head with the said stick. Figuratively.
4. Stress over the revisions. How many -ly words can I possibly know? I must have used them all 400 times, at least.
   
5. Stress some more over MORE revisions. Would Mandy really say that? Come on, she's tougher than that!
   
6. Begin enjoying revisions again. Hey, my characters are, like, people now!
7. Revise again. It's fun, okay? I want to go play with my friends!
8. Put it away and start something new.
9. Realize you didn't know what you were thinking when you put that scene in Chapter 2 and snatch it out immediately! I mean, really, who cares about the cat? Nobody. If it's not moving the plot forward- goodbye!
10. Begin to see your penchant for exclamation points. They're just so fun, and so...shiny!
11. What? Stop working on it? You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!

Haha, okay so maybe the last one was a teeny bit dramatic. Just thought I'd have a bit of fun today, hope you got a giggle out of my craziness.

Today's cocktail of choice: Melon Magic

So, I've never had this drink, but the name speaks to me. I'm totally trying one this weekend!

1 part Midori (melon Liqueur)
1 part Vodka
1 part Orange Juice
Lemonade to top up

"Highball Glass"

Shake midori, vodka and orange juice together with a little ice. Top up with lemonade to taste and pour into a glass. Decorate with orange slices and melon balls.

Road Trip Wednesday

It's Road Trip Wednesday y'all! (Okay, that was a little southern of me, sorry.) It's the weekly YA Highway blog carnival and this week's topic is:

If literary characters had Twitter accounts, who would you follow?

1. Katniss Everdeen- Because I totally need to be up on the action in the games, and what the Capitol is up to.
2. Gemma Doyle- If the realms are going to hell I need to know, so I can keep the darn Poppy warriors out of my house! They scare me...and there are lots of crows around here. *shudder*
3. Westley- (The Princess Bride) "As you wish" is something every woman wants to hear.
4. Hermione- I HAD to include at least one Harry Potter character.

What about you? Who would you follow?

Friday Fun

How cool is this? I made it at wordle.com for my novel, Emerald's Keeper. If you click on it you can see a bigger image.





We also had family pictures made this weekend. Isn't my Super-Spawn so stinking cute?! The photos were taken by the fabulous Brett Butler. He also did some head-shots for my website, so those will be up soon!


In other (not so) fun news- I've fractured a couple bones in my foot. I'm such a klutz! I should really just stay stationed at my computer all the time so as to not injure myself. Super-Spawn also has an infection in a cut on his leg. Greeeat. Ever had to give a toddler 2 different oral antibiotics and rub him in cream three times a day? Is. Not. Fun. He's a pretty good sport as long as I promise him coke. Hey, whatever it takes right? He doesn't need to know his coke is all natural and made from organic ingredients. Just like his cookies. Sneaky mom strikes again!

Do any of my other lovely blog friends live in Florida? I am so looking forward to the 9th Annual Florida Writers Conference! It is being held in Orlando, FL October 22-24 this year. I'm already saving to make the trip. I'm also planning to enter the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Competition with Emerald this year. If you're local and interested you can go to the Florida Writers Association website for more details.

Also be sure to check out Gatekeeper's guest blog post about taking writer's jealousy and turning it into something positive.

Do the Write Thing is going on this week as well as a fundraiser for the people impacted by the Nashville flood. Go over to the blog and bid on signed copies of books, query critiques, manuscript critiques and much more for a good cause.

Have a great weekend all!

Friday Fun

I've seen some funny things over the web this week, and a few things that make me squeeee! So, today will be a mismash of things I found interesting.

Must share- I cannot WAIT for Kierstin White's PARANORMALCY to come out...and LOOK! It's a countdown!



And the Agency Gatekeeper posted this hilarity, which I feel needs to be shared with all.

Twilight Cycles from Brandon Routh

You should also check out agent Nathan Bransford's Query System Experiment. He posted 5 random queries which were voted on, and then a 30 page sample of the stories to be voted on as well. It was to determine if the querying system is effective in choosing stories that sell based on such a short word count.

There was also an interesting post on DGLM's blog about writing manuals and if they really are effective. I, personally, only ventured into the writing manual section once I had a completed manuscript. The books I've used have been on structure and expectations of agents and publishers in general. There are a lot of interesting comments on the post as well.

Was there anything epically awesome that I missed this week? If so, please share!

Tipsy Tuesday

Okay, so maybe not that kind of tipsy. Unless you've got a chilled moscato hanging out over there. Then it's game ON! I jest, I jest. Or do I?

Enough circles. On this Tipsy Tuesday I bring you tips for query submissions I have gathered across the array of agent blogs I follow.

1. Personalize the letter. No, Ms. Agent Lady doesn't enjoy being addressed as Dear Sir. Be sure to use the agent's name, spelled correctly.
2. Never ever, ever, ever, ever CC a gajillion agents on a single query email. They know. It's really an insult--like saying they're not worth your time.
3. No matter how great the urge-- do NOT send gifts along with a paper query. It's creepy.
4. Do your research. Sending an agent a query for a genre they don't represent is wasting both your time. Most agents list things they represent on their website and/or on sites like query tracker and publishers marketplace.
5. Don't send attachments to emails, unless the agent specifically asks for it! It will be deleted for fear of viruses.

Now, some not so serious mommy tips.

1. Never let Super-Spawn nap until nearly 5pm, he will never go to sleep at night.
2. Of course cake is a healthy food! Grandma says so!
3. Repeating Mama over and over and over and over is a tactic to make you cave. DO NOT GIVE IN!
   
4. Puppy dog eyes and pouty lips work, even if you don't want them to.
5. They really are cute when they sleep, it's the waking hours you have to worry about.

Ba-dum-cha!

Flashback Friday

It's Flashback Friday over on the GotYA Blog, and they've invited everyone to participate!

This week's topic is: Movies that Shaped Our Generation

Now, my generation may be a little different than yours or theirs (Hey, I'm 25, Twilight is not shaping my generation).


The Princess Bride- So epically wonderful ::sigh:: We used to watch this in the Drama classroom between our rehearsals when I was in high school. It just doesn't get any better.



The Little Mermaid- Okay, so maybe it didn't shape the boys, but it certainly did the girls of my generation. I used to watch this movie every day, over and over again. And my mom still has the original VHS version with one of the original covers that were recalled because of an artist being...uhm...less than appropriate.



Silence of the Lambs- That movie still scares me.


And last, but certainly not least...


Scary Movie- Hahahaha. Yes, remember how funny it was when the first one came out? Epic.