I've been absent from writing for awhile now. I lost my dad. I'd been caring for him for 5 months before he passed on Mother's Day. It's been hard. But I've missed writing, and the therapy it provides. So I've started back up. I'm reading a great craft book called Story Genius by Lisa Cron. 

I love the break down of why and how. The exercises that force me to really look at my character and my writing.

A sudden realization hit me like a storm of rocks. While taking about the background of a novel's MC, the author talks about why this character is who he/she is and why. How we need to know their past intimately in order to know what drives them. So...I've been doing the exercises and while I thought I knew my character really well, I have more to learn. And part of that learning is finding out why this story is important to me and what I discovered was deeper than I'd thought. Hence the storm of rocks smacking me in the heart.

I thought I was writing this story because I have an adopted child, and showing that birth families aren't always the family's that people grow up in is part of our story. And I want to show that these other families are just as loving as birth families. But wham...I think what I'm really trying to do with this story is validate myself as a non-birth mother. Whoa! I just haven't figured out who I'm trying to validate this to. The world? Myself? I don't know. I'll have to get back to that later. Or just maybe, I'll figure it out along the way as I revise this story that means the world to me.

Back to work. Have a great day!

 I've had the pleasure to begin a new writing project this week with a friend who I met many years ago in a critique group. She's a prolific writer, with tons of experience and so talented. 

We decided to collaborate on a Fantasy series about an inept fairy, kind-of-orphaned kids, and how they struggle to stay together while trying to find their missing parents. Cool, right?

I just want to say how much fun it is to brainstorm with someone, and how the ideas simply flow and meld together. 

Here is a link to an interview she did on The Mixed Up files about our fledgling series:https://fromthemixedupfiles.com/here-there-be-unicorns.../ 

Researching for this story has been incredibly fun. If you're working on a fantasy, remember to have a good time, and jump outside the box while you create your very own world. 

Back to the fairy realm I go. If you have any fun stories about your fantasy series, or something wonderful you're reading, please leave a comment.

Have a great weekend!

 At the stage in my query revision where I feel good. Getting ready to submit to my crit group and will find out if my good feeling is dashed with reality, or praised that I've nearly got it. Fingers crossed.

If anyone wants reply with their first query line "hook" and last paragraph consequence sentence, I'd love to give feedback.

Reply away!

Happy Sunday!

Working on that dreaded query letter again today. I found a helpful guide and one part especially caught my eye. 

The guide is called From the Query to the Call by Elana Johnson. 

After breaking down the query into four parts: Hook, Setup, Conflict, and Consequence, she adds at the end to write your 1st sentence query blurb, and your consequence sentence, and it should be your story in a nutshell. If it isn't, it's a novel problem, not a query problem. 

So, that's what I'm working on. 

In his world of absent parents and ten moves in eleven of his years, Seamus just wants to settle down with his family. Hard to make happen when Dad works in the middle of the ocean and Mom has abandonment issues...and has left again. When the reality that his parents won't change hits, Seamus will need to decide if he has the courage to risk hurting Mom, or if he will keep quiet to protect her, and fall back into the same old lonely life.

Very rough, and missing all of the fun stuff. My work is cut out for me.

Does anyone out there have any other helpful query information?

Or have a query you'd like looked at? Let me know, I'm willing to take a look and apply what I've learned. 

Try this link, see if you can get to the text.

https://www.wattpad.com/78137994-from-the-query-to-the-call-introduction

Happy hard work, query writing day!

 The crazy hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, and I'm hoping to find time to write. Actually, to revise. I've sent out queries for my MG adventure/friendship novel, to no avail. As a renowned passive/aggressive I get the hint. It isn't making the grade. So after critique partners thoughts, and digging deep in myself, I know this story doesn't start in quite the right place. So on to the revision grind of combining the first two chapters, which mostly means, starting with chapter two, but keeping in the most important sentences from chapter one. 

I can do this. It will be better. It might be just what I need in my struggle to get this sweet, fun, adventurous story published. No matter how many books on the craft I study, or how many wonderful novels I read, it doesn't make the work easier. It somehow needs to click in my head, because it certainly doesn't come naturally. But if I don't keep at it, it never will. So today, dear friends, I've settled on my uncomfortable sofa, laptop on my lap, and the tree lights on, ready to tackle a really hard job.

Good luck to me. And good luck to all of you who have made through 2020, in tact or not, no matter what has happened, keep on trudging, keep on being kind, and sometimes when you think it can't get any worse, the sun comes out, you feel hopeful, and good things always happen. 

Hugs to you all!

Oh, and I'd love to hear your first chapter journeys if you would care to share!

 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!