Author Archives: lisatyre

Dec31

January Writers Conferences

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January Writers Conferences

I love a good conference. Here are a couple of January events I found while looking around the web.

Steve Berry Writer’s Workshop and Fundraiser, January 15, 2011, The Atlanta Writer’s Club

New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry, one of our most popular and successful authors, has over 11 million books published worldwide. An accomplished instructor as well, he has taught writing to audiences around the globe. Steve also is passionate about preserving history–he is the founder of the nonprofit History Matters–so he has teamed up with the Atlanta Writers Club and Eagle Eye Book Shop to present a 4-hour writer’s workshop, with all proceeds to benefit the Historic Oakland Foundation, Oakland Cemetery (www.oaklandcemetery.com).Steve Berry This is the final resting place of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, among many other notables.Steve Berry will teach the craft of writing, including the Four “C’s” of story structure, effective dialogue, point of view, and the all-important 10 Rules of Writing in three 50-minute sessions, followed by a Q&A session. This workshop is not restricted to members of the Atlanta Writers Club; the first 175 people registering and paying the contribution amount will be admitted.

SCBWI Winter Conference – New York

The 12th Annual SCBWI International Winter Conference begins with a day of optional pre-conference intensives for writers & illustrators on January 28th, followed by 2 days chock-full of agents, editors, publishers, workshops and networking designed to rocket your writing and illustration to the next level.

Published or pre-published, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity! Get the latest information on the market from the industry leaders in publishing for young people, and be inspired by some of the most well-known authors and illustrators working in children’s literature today.

Since they are a few days apart, I’m pretty sure I should do both. But I really want to go to the Book Expo in New York later this year. Maybe I should do all THREE.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to run to Home Depot and hope something falls on me. As a get-rich scheme it has its problems, I know.

Nov15

You’ve got an agent, now what?

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You’ve got an agent, now what?

So it happened – a real, live agent read my manuscript, called me, and wanted to represent me! Cray-Cray, I know. I signed the contract and waited patiently for my letter, you know, the one where she tells me what she thinks needs to change? I’m lucky – it was only 7 pages long. She gave me some great advice on each and every character, and pointed out some things that were a bit confusing. Now I’ve actually started the revision process. I’m giving myself three months to finish.

Three months. I’m hoping that I’ll be finished before that, but I don’t want it to appear that I just rushed through it. Agent Awesome said if I hadn’t sent anything in SIX months, we’d need to talk. And by “need to talk”, I’m pretty sure she means a beat-down.

All good agents find a way to inspire you.

Now, go write!

 

Oct1

Going With It.

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Going With It.

I’ve been struggling with my new novel and have written the first chapter about four times in four different voices. I plotted out the original a good six months ago, but there was something about it that wasn’t grabbing me. So I began playing with it ad nauseum.  Today I told a couple of friends about the FIRST idea, gave some general background, and plot twists, and the more I talked about it out loud, the more I remembered why I liked it! So now I’m moving forward. Whew, that feels good.

Or maybe not.

No wonder writers drink.

Sep22

Query Help

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Query Help

Writing a good query is important – if you can’t interest an agent into reading your manuscript, how are you ever going to SELL your manuscript? There’s a fun blog where you can read other people’s queries, and if you’re feeling brave, submit your own.

The Query Shark will read your query and, if you’re lucky, post it with advice on how to make it better. But be warned, they’re the Query SHARK, not the Query Kitten.

Good luck!

Sep15

Inside an Agent’s Head

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Inside an Agent’s Head

I haven’t actually met my agent, or HEARD from her, since I mailed the contract off a couple of weeks ago. I’m sure she hasn’t changed her mind. Seriously, like that would ever happen. Like that would ever happen? Would that ever happen?

Whatever. I’m sure once we begin to communicate, we’ll get along like gangbusters. I have no idea HOW gangbusters get along, but they sound really violent. Perhaps I should rephrase. Anyway, the point is – if you want to know what agents think and do then go here -

PUB RANTS

It’s not MY soon-to-be-agent’s head, but it’s still a good place to start.

Write On!

Sep13

Thinking like a professional

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Thinking like a professional

Or at least spending like one.

When I went to my last conference, an agent suggested to our class that we subscribe to www.PublishersMarketplace.com at the HOLY COW rate of $20.00 per month. Okay, maybe it’s not that expensive to you, but for me, it seems a little high. So I did it.

You can cancel at any moment, and it really does provide GREAT info. Here’s a blurb from their website:

Welcome to biggest and best dedicated marketplace for publishing professionals to find critical information and unique databases, find each other, and to do business better electronically. A service of Publishers Lunch, the most widely read daily dossier in publishing and known as “publishing’s essential daily read,” Publishers Marketplace really works in part because it is driven by the attention of over 40,000 publishing professionals who read Lunch every day.

I like to see the deals that are made daily, as well as what agents are the top sellers, etc. If you’re serious about making writing your life, sign up for a month and see what you think. I’m betting you’ll be inspired!

Write On!

Sep9

My Query Advice

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My Query Advice

There are websites FULL of advice on how to write the perfect query, written by people far more qualified than I. They were a big help to me while writing MY query. My advice is for what you should do AFTER you’ve got your query perfected. While I’m not a famous, published author, my query DID land me an agent, so take it for what it’s worth.

Here it is – FOLLOW THE RULES.

I know that sounds like a big, “duh”, but I can’t tell you how many agencies complain about authors disregarding the submission guidelines and just hitting the “SEND” button. When I began sending out my query, my goal was to do 10 each week. That may not seem like a lot, but since every agent want’s something different – it was very time consuming. If an agency wanted the first 10 pages, they got the first ten pages and no more, no less. If they were looking for Young Adult novels with a dark edge, I DIDN’T send a query, since mine is not that at all. Seriously, why waste their time AND mine?

Occasionally, when I was in too good of a mood to be depressed, I’d check out http://arcaedia.livejournal.com/ She posts weekly stats on how many queries she’s received and how many manuscripts she’s requested. Last week it was 203 read, ONE manuscript requested. Probably half of the queries she read could be discounted immediately for NOT following her submission guidelines or being outside the scope of what she was looking for.

Do your work, and follow the rules. It will speed up the process and you’ll find an agent before you know it!

Write ON!

Sep7

Conference Do’s and Don’ts

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Conference Do’s and Don’ts

If you’re attending your first writer’s conference, I thought I’d give you a few guidelines that I learned the hard way.

DO be prepared. – The first time I went to a conference, I got up on the morning of, threw three copies of my first chapter and synopsis into my purse, and headed off. Optimistic, much? Because I waited until the last minute, I missed the manuscript critique, but I figured I might convince SOMEONE to take a look at my work. I figured wrong. The one, WELL-KNOWN agent I asked, didn’t want the hassle of carrying anything extra on the plane. Conference FAIL.

DON’T get discouraged. – It took me an entire session to work up the courage to even approach the above mentioned agent, and when she blew me off, I wanted to slink away and hide. Seriously? Grow a pair of pencil sharpeners and get used to it. Rejection is part of the game.

DO stay the weekend. – If you’re traveling far, this is a no-brainer. At my 2nd conference, I opted to go the night before, stay at the hotel, and participate FULLY. It was an awesome experience. Spending the entire weekend with writers, agents, editors, talking about BOOKS. What more could you want? I still hear from some of the people I met, and it’s been nice to be able to encourage each other.

DON’T drink too much. – Hey, it was my first weekend away and I was a little excited! I KNEW 2 glasses of wine was my limit, but no, I had to try a 3rd. Which is why I spent the first half, of my first day, on my bed trying to keep a cracker down and searching my purse’s lining for a stray Advil.

DO speak up.- At one of the sessions, the leader asked for volunteers to read. Even though I was scared to death, I did it. After the session, one of the speakers for the event came up to me and complimented my “voice”. It was a great moment. Writers LIVE for great moments.

DON’T skip the critique. – At my second conference, I was better prepared (see Do #1). I was surprised to see the amount of work the agent I had selected put into my critique. And not only did she like it, she requested the WHOLE manuscript.

Which I didn’t send. But that’s a blog post for another time.

Write ON!

May30

SCBWI Conference 2010

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SCBWI Conference 2010

I really, REALLY want to go to the SCBWI conference. In Los Angeles. It’s the Mack-Daddy of conferences – perfect for a girl like me – unknown, desperate, with one unpublished novel to her credit.

I can pony up the registration fee, use frequent flyer miles for the airplane ride, but geesh – the hotel? C’mon, SURELY there is some sweet, grandmotherly type of writer out there willing to share a room.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueler?

Apr4

Later Gater

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Later Gater

I read that a writer should pull from their world, when looking for writing ideas. And that if you’re not getting ideas, you should change your world. So I’m off for two weeks in India. I may come back with some great story ideas. I may also come back with malaria. Writer’s aren’t optimistic by nature.