Election Day is getting closer. It's that time of every four years when Americans rant, argue, post, be informative, be rude, be nasty, be kind, be hypocritical, be understanding, be opinionated. I think we all need to take a deep breath and be thankful that we live in a country where we can be all of these. I love hearing the "whys" of the way a person feels, especially when they feel different than me, and if I can, listen without judgement. Everyone's voice matters. And I'm thankful we live where we are allowed to speak how we feel.

This leads me to Dystopian Novels. One of my favorite genres. Even though they can seem so crazy and far-fetched, are they really? Humans have inhabited this planet for an awfully long time. I think we should have things right by now. We don't. So.....are Dystopian stories really such a stretch? Maybe we need to think so, but I don't. (using my opinionated voice here.)

There are so many good ones out there. We have the best sellers, Hunger Games, Divergent, The Giver, The Maze Runner, but if you've already read these and are looking for more, here are some suggestions.

Legend by Marie Lu (so good, and there are more, it's a series!)

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (my favorite, also a series!)

The Children of Men by PD James (not YA, adult, but really good)

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (another series! Time to binge read)

Really, they are all great reads, you won't be disappointed. I have a possible dystopian on my mind. My MC is a young, single mother who relies on welfare to survive, and lives among people who keep her down trodden. When the country is taken over by several united hostile countries, and her baby is taken, she will rise up and fight with strength and confidence she never thought she had. Will she get her baby back?

I don't even know the answer. The story is still swirling in my brain. I have to wait for the swirl to settle before I can begin to outline. Good luck to me!

Find your happiness and live it to the fullest!

 If you're anything like me, you've been on the search for that perfect writing guide. The one that makes the whole process easier. I'm happy to say that at least I've helped support fellow writers by purchasing their craft guide books. You're welcome way-smarter-than-me writer people!

I have my favorites, but the one that has helped me the most is Christine Frazier's better novel project where she deconstructs best sellers. Check it out.  http://www.betternovelproject.com/blog/master-outline/

She gives examples, and explains why it works. I had a boney draft, and by following her deconstruction does, I have a much more layered novel. Is it ready yet? Not sure. I've started to send out to agents, and two form rejections later, which shattered my already weak confidence, I'll keep trying until I hit my goal of 10 rejections. I have a goal! Yeah!

Baby steps, don't give up, consider rejections just one more step toward that publication. 

My story is good. Its funny, and sad, and partly realistic, and sweet. A lot of the location is drawn from my own childhood of playing outside in the woods with neighbors. It addresses a parent with mental illness, but only vaguely. There's a monster, neighborhood gangs, bad kids, good kids, and a bloodhound. Cool, right?

Anyway, check out the Better Novel Project link above, let me know if it helps you as much as it has me.

Back to writing on this rainy day. Oh, and I just made bread. Just saying.

Happy Tuesday!

 A week has gone by with no time to write. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking about writing, how to fix plot holes, and worrying about any loose ends I've left. I know the bigger the plot hole, the easier it is to recognize and fix. It's the smaller ones that can make or break a manuscript. Readers are smart. They notice the small things. 

Yesterday I figured out how to look at my WIP in a different way. I went to see my 90 year old, very deaf dad yesterday. He's a chill guy. He still cuts down trees, splits the wood, and stacks it neatly in his barn. Anyway, off topic. I got to his house, and I saw this in his kitchen

Me: Um, Dad, what happened to your wall?

Dad: I don't know. It keeps getting bigger.

Me: Well, what do you think it is?

Dad: Mouse.

Me: I'll get a mouse trap.

Dad: Nah, I don't want to trap him.

Me: But the hole will keep getting bigger. And, you know, the wiring.

Dad: "laughs"

Of course, because it was a hole, it made me think about my plot holes. You know, mouse hole, plot hole. I thought about how looking at Dad's mouse hole from the front of the house or any other room, you don't see it, but it can still cause damage to the house.

Just like in a novel, you can't see certain loose ends and plot holes from the cover, or from some other chapters, but once you see it, it affects the entire story.

So now I'm home, with a few minutes to commit to writing, which means searching for holes. It won't be as easy as walking into Dad's kitchen and whoa, there it is. But the search has begun, and I know I need to look room by room (chapter by chapter), instead of sitting back trying to see the whole novel.

How do you make sure you've closed up your loose ends and plot holes? I keep a running list of all of them I can think of, but it's the ones that slip by me I worry and fret about.

I hope you have a wonderful writing weekend! 

Why can't we write honest query letters?

 Whether you're a beginner or seasoned, writing isn't for the weak. It takes a lot of time. A LOT. It takes self-educating yourself with the craft...and as far as I know...there aren't any shortcuts. And just when you think you've got it...a manuscript polished shiny as can be and wham...you're faced with the query letter.

I get why agents want a query. Really, I do. But there really could be a gem of a story hiding behind a hideous query that never gets seen. For real.

And the query has to be so damned professional and rigid. I like honesty. Could we just have honest queries? Sort of like....

Hey, agent, I googled agents searching for MG adventure novels and your name came up. Yeah, I'm querying all nineteen agents that popped up. I'm super glad you're one of them.

So anyway, my story is about this really lonely kid. His parents are totally not present and he needs a family. His parents also move a lot so he has this leaving friends issue going on. Now that he's at his aunt's house for the summer, he just wants to be left alone and mope about being lonely.

Guess whaaaat? No deal, his lucky rabbit foot gets stolen by a dog, he meets his neighbor, they see a fight in a cemetery between a guy and a creature they call Swampfoot. They get in a fight, but make up. They break into a house, but not in a bad way, they find a missing dog, they get caught and tied up, and set up to take the fall from this bunch of thieves who also steal pets and sell them.

They make a plan to find out who the leader of these bad guys are, and they manage it after some cool roadblocks. And guess what? Lonely boy has friends! He loves them and wants to stay with his aunt. The End.

I've had short stories published in kid magazines and won third place in a flash fiction contest.

Take a look, and let me know what you think. Also, if you could, if you don't like it, could you just please, please, please let me know how to make it better?

Thank you so, so much,

Sincerely and respectfully,

If that was a query, full of truth and honesty, they would be much easier to write. What do think?