Ahh...that's better

Wanted to get past that 113th post.  So here I am, the 114th.  A nice, safe number.  I got good feedback from another reader of my manuscript, but she also thinks my book has a lot of room to grow.  It needs to be stronger in character building, also the relationships between the characters, especially between the protagonist and her parents.  I actually look forward to writing a couple of brand new chapters to start off the book.  I don't know exactly what should happen in them, but it's real writing, not just editing.  Then, of course, the rest of the damn thing will need to be edited again, but I can't just give up on this.  Right? ...

Weekends are the best.

Our friend from Louisiana is visiting us this weekend.  He's one of the three people that read my manuscript for feedback.  He's also the only of the three who isn't related to me, so I really valued his opinion.  Knowing he was coming to visit, I kept telling my husband that I was really worried he'd get drunk and tell me he hated my book.  After reading it, he told me he really enjoyed it and gave me really positive feedback, along with good suggestions.  So knowing he's also the type of guy who is very complimentary and gentleman like, I obviously always wondered if he was just trying to be nice and when the truth would come out.  So last night...after dinner at an amazing German restaurant called Haus Murphy's where my husband and our friend each drank two ENOURMOUS beers

(I'm pregnant, so I'm the designated driver, of course...we couldn't have our toddler drive, duh)

I worried that this would be the time our friend would start telling me the truth about the book.  It did come up...and he brought it up...but the conversation was actually extremely favorable.  He asked what I'm doing with it, so I told him some of the changes I've made and the editing I'm still doing, then he proceeded to tell me what he liked about it the best (after saying 'I like all of it, but this is what I liked the best...').  So even his drunken uninhibited opinion is positive.  Hurray!  And that seriously makes me very happy and reinforces the confidence I've built already in regards to the manuscript. 
I have been lazy about the second round of editing.  I did get done doing the written edits on the manuscript, and now I'm onto the second round of actually writing the changes into the manuscript on Scrivener.  I've fallen behind though, and if I want to finish it before the end of the year, I need to have a bit more discipline.

Otherwise...I've had a fun few days of getting my Christmas gifts really early..one is a Gardenmaster Nesco Dehydrator and the other is a Basis B1 watch.  I'm loving both gifts a lot.  Already dehydrated a batch of strawberries, apples, and bananas and I've been burning around 2700 calories or more per day (I'm pregnant, and trying to stay active), and my heart rate is usually in the 90s (also gonna say that's from the pregnancy).

And just now, I made a batch of no bake cookies. 

I'm going to dehydrate another batch of stuff soon (more apples...they're awesome...zucchini and green beans). 

My domestic streak is in full force...nesting again?  Also, the husband and friend are at the Cardinals game right now so I'm enjoying some mostly alone time (little girl just got up from her nap though, so now it's time to feed her a delicious cookie).

Wish weekends could last longer...just an extra day or so.

It's a Girl!!!

We're having another baby girl!!  Our three year old will be so excited!  She has chosen 'Doc McStuffins' as the name...we're working on her though.  Don't want to start the sibling rivalry right off the bat, haha.

Honestly though, no names yet...Steve has been leaning towards Abigale, which I like a lot...but I just realized that I feel the need to spell check the name right now and that's probably a bad sign.

I need to get back into editing.  Now that the big work event is done I'm just trying to catch up in every other aspect of my life, and unfortunately, the editing keeps getting pushed to last (our floors were in desperate need of vacuuming and cleaning and I have deadlines I can't ignore with the jewelry business, which is going great).  Soon....I'm promising myself...soon.

Edited a lot

I didn't really have a surge of inspiration tonight but I did force myself to do the things I should have done last night.  I posted two new rings to my jewelry shop.  One of them is two fingerprints forming a heart on a ring and the other is an infinity symbol ring.

Infinity

 

Two Fingerprints Form a Heart

 

So I was happy to have gotten them listed. 

I also edited more than normal.  I did a chapter and started the next chapter (worked as far as a page into the next chapter).  The reason for my overachieving was because I saw that I only have two more chapters (now one chapter and about 2/3rds of another chapter) before I catch up with where I made notes on my PDF version.  So when I catch up, I can recompress the manuscript with all the updated edits and start from there on my iPad again with a stylus and my Goodreader app.  I'm just looking forward to the change.  It has felt good to have a mixing up of editing methods.  Keeps me looking forward to shorter term goals instead of just the overall goal.

So I'm at...
Page 65 of 155

Yay...Getting this thing polished up...FINALLY.

Woohoo, a whole chapter!

So I'm pretty psyched about how well this is going.  Knowing I need to report the amount of pages I've edited each day keeps it in the back of my mind.  So when I have a free minute or two, I try and dedicate it to editing.  Not only that, but now when I'm reading a book or listening to an audiobook, I'm constantly thinking about my own manuscript and feeling a desire to quit reading and continue editing.  It's like that feeling that drives you to finish reading a book, but my mind is putting that desire toward my own manuscript.  What an awesome way to feel motivated.  Like it isn't a chore, but an actual hobby and something to feel proud of/excited about. 

Anyway, today I edited FIVE pages.  A whole chapter (which is about 10 book sized pages...like I've said before, the pdf I'm editing from fits a lot more words per page than a printed book would).  So I'm at:

56 of 155

And I think I stopped the handwritten edits around Chapter 16 or 17, so I'm only about 5 chapters away from catching up with myself (I made edits and sometimes they're easy 'missing comma' type edits, and other times they're more time consuming and general 'fix' type edits, which take way more time).  Once I catch up with myself, I need to:

• Compress the whole file again with the edits from Scrivener into a new PDF. 
• Upload that PDF back to Goodreader.
• Start reading/editing the actual manuscript again.
• Send that back to Scrivener and open the PDF side by side with the actual manuscript to type out the edits.
• Finish this whole round of edits (I can't wait).
• Make a kindle file of this draft of the book.
• Reread the whole book from start to finish while taking just general overall notes. 
• Reedit (hopefully with much less tedious fixes).

That is, unless Scrivener comes out with an iPad version of their program before I catch up with myself.  I can't wait until that day comes!  No more converting to PDF, editing, then putting files side by side...just make the edits directly to the manuscript on my iPad...the convenience factor there makes my mouth water.

I'm feeling good about this though! 

And I've started working on ideas for a new YA Dystopian (I don't care if publishers don't want dystopian right now...it's such a cool theory to consider...especially with all the changes technology brings to cultures...imagining what our future is going to look like is fun).  I'm using the Index Card app for that, and I'm really enjoying it.  It also syncs with Scrivener (but only through the Mac version of Scrivener, which is a bummer, because I'm using my PC far more often lately).  I have the app on both my iPhone and my iPad and, annoyingly enough, the files don't automatically sync between the apps.  If I upload them to Dropbox, I can then make sure the files stay constant between both, but I have to do that manually, and it's frustrating.  So I am mostly just using this app on my iPhone and jotting down ideas when I think of them.

I guess that's enough for this blog post...I made a short story long.

Break and Day 3 of Journal (8/3/96)

I'm taking a short, rare break from my tasks.  I just needed a breather from the task I'm working on, so I figured I'd use the moment here.  Also, I'm eating lunch and there's no one here to take an official break with.

I still haven't made a new game plan on how I'm going to approach the last edits on my manuscript.  After which I need to write a good synopsis and send out more queries.  I figure this time away from the book is only going to help.  Diving back in with a fresh outlook is usually recommended, so aside from the fact that I don't want to put it off so long that I just never get around to it, I'm not beating myself up over this time not editing.

The jewelry is going well.  I've been busy to the point where I'm making something or polishing and finishing something on a nightly basis.  That's all fine except for the fact that I really want a break from everything once in a while and it has been a few days since I've felt like I've been able to have that.  I get home from work after picking up the kiddo from daycare, then she and I watch a cartoon, play, eat dinner, she goes to bed and I start working on jewelry.  I get done by 9:30 and I'm too tired to read or do anything much for myself. 

On Sunday, I made time for myself (even during Father's Day, haha) to go to the Central Library in Phoenix during the kiddo's nap.  It was GORGEOUS.  Five floors!!

I checked out a bunch of kids' books and two books for myself.  Every time I go to the library I have a mental battle over whether I should get myself a book.  I always break down and check one or two out but I usually never end up reading them or even opening them. 

The first of the two I checked out is Tenth of December by George Saunders.  I had heard a lot about it when it was first released, and since it was available and I knew it was a compilation of short stories, I didn't feel bad about checking it out.  I've already read a couple of the short stories and I'm really enjoying it.  The second is a full novel but it looked like a light read so I'm hoping I can start it in a week or so and actually have it done before they're due back.


Now on to my journal entry from August of 1996...

 

Diary 8/3/96

Forget those first pages!  That was a while ago and now I am not who I was!
  The other day I went for a run and on my way home I was walking up a hill and (I was too tierd to run!) I saw a huming bird!  It was as big as a wasp!  The thing that was so great about it is that I touched it!
  I'm crying now because I think, I don't know how to put this in words so I'll explain.  Never Mind!
  I still HATE Jessica and Sarah!  Their both BITCHES! (excuse my french) I'm trying to make new friends but that's hard to do during the summer!
  I haven't done much during the summer, just stuff with Rose and Jeanette.
  On the 22nd My family and me are going to Hershey park.
  Why is my handwriting so bad?!?!  It gets worse every day!  I guess I'll just have to live with it!
  Sarah would have made a good friend but she hung out with Jessica too much!

                                Oh Well!

                                         Millie


Why do the French get all the blame for bad language?

First Two Queries Sent, First Two Rejections Received

So I finally buckled down recently and finished my query letter.  I have no idea if it'll be good enough to catch an agent's eye, but I felt pretty good about it.  If I get any type of positive response from it I'll probably eventually post it here, but for now, I'm going to wait and see.  My sister also gave me some really great feedback on the book after she read it.  So far, I have feedback from three people, and I've been going back through the manuscript trying to fix it up and tweak it so it works.  I need to put more effort in the synopsis, which I hadn't written yet as of a couple of days ago, but writing it is making me really doubt myself, which I hate.  

I sent out the query to two agents so far and I have already received two rejections.  I really assumed it would take longer to get responses.  I saw somewhere that email queries typically don't even get responses, and I'd honestly rather not get any if they're planning on rejecting.  So far, no such luck, so I get to deal with rejections from jobs and NOW rejections from agents.  I'm really hating the number 13 right now (aka, the year 2013).  I'm gonna  get a whole lot more rejections, from jobs AND agents...so I hope it makes me better at handling it....because it has always been a major weakness of mine.  

Back to sending out the query, working on the synopsis, and sharpening up the manuscript.  I'm going to be unrelenting.  I'm determined.  This is what I want in life, above anything else ever, so now that I've finally written an entire manuscript, I'm not going to quit that easily.  Or at all.  One really great part about the entertainment industry, it's so subjective that even books like 50 Shades of Grey can make millions of dollars.

Updates and Revised Pitch (Advice Encouraged, Again).

Still no news on how the interview went...I did find out the job is much further away from me than I originally anticipated, it's actually based in a city 20 minutes east of the one displayed in the job description.  I'm 25 minutes west of that middle city...so it'll be quite a haul if I do get offered the position.  They told me they'd let me know if they want to include me in the second round of interviews and the fact that I haven't heard from them yet makes me extremely nervous.  I'll update as soon as I hear word.

My other update is my newly revised pitch for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award...

Melanie Foster was finishing up her junior year of high school, enjoying her last moments of class, savoring the warmth of the sunny summer afternoon, and replaying the moment that her long-time crush asked her on her first real date.

Her life takes an unanticipated turn for the worse when she returns home from the date to discover her house left in disarray and her parents gone. A strange voicemail left by her mother during the kidnapping leaves Melanie questioning everyone, even herself. 



Melanie is thrown into an extraordinary adventure of love, loss, deceit, and despair when she is introduced to a new world, one explained to her as the original planet inhabited by human beings. Her grip on reality is tested when she learns that her world is actually the Third Earth discovered and populated by humans in a process known as the Earths Project. 



After learning that her parents are actually scientists working on the Earths Project, Melanie is sent on a journey to the place where they're being held, the Second Earth. Eager to help rescue her mother and father, Melanie finds herself tasked with the unexpected role of saving her entire planet.



The Earths Project: First Earth is the just the beginning of a journey through worlds of possibility and leaves the reader gazing up at the stars and wondering, what if?

The contest closes Sunday and I'm down to only having FOUR chapters left to edit.  I did my rewrite scene (just finished it up today actually), so those four chapters might take a little while.  I'm glad the contest has stayed open this long, but it makes me feel like I'll go crazy if it closes early when I'm THIS close.  So keep your fingers crossed that they don't get their ten-thousandth entry before Sunday!

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (Contest)

So I'm thinking about entering my manuscript into a contest run through Amazon Publishing.  They started accepting submissions today and will stop accepting them on January 27th (a few days before I wanted to finish my first edits of my manuscript, so I'll obviously have to pick up the pace a little if I want to get my submission up to my own standards in time).  From the looks of it, I can submit my entry as soon as I want and then continue to make edits until January 27th...which would ensure I at least have a spot in the contest...it closes after 10,000 submissions are made (so it could close next week*).

So I guess I'll weigh pros and cons here...since they've just been floating around in my head since I read about this contest 45 minutes ago...

PROS:

There's a $50,000 advance awarded to the grand-prize winner with a publishing contract through Amazon Publishing...this all happens this summer, which brings me to my next pro...

The speed with which they run this contest is impressive.  The announcement of all submissions that will make it to the second round is in the middle of February.  If I lose, I have my book back and can just go about my business as usual.  If I make it to the next round, hell yea!

For all the First Place finalists, you get a $15,000 advance and a trip to the awards ceremony, which is in June.  Plus the book gets published.

Even if you don't win, Amazon Publishing might want to buy your book, so it's exciting to have that potential.

CONS:

I feel like people should do cons first, because I'm now in the mindset of 'really, what could be bad about this' after listing the pros....

I have to refrain from shopping the manuscript around while it's in the contest.  That doesn't stop me from searching for an agent, in which case I could probably pull my submission.

If I only get the $15,000 advance it's really not the kind of success I was hoping for (duh, I'm sure I'd be just thrilled if I really did become a published author, so this is a pro too, since it's a foot in the door).

I wouldn't be able to negotiate at all (which really is a con, considering one of the major reasons I've found for getting an agent is to have someone's help in negotiating a book contract).

Some other things I took into consideration:

5. GRANT OF RIGHTS. By submitting an Entry and if you are selected as a Quarter-Finalist or Semi-Finalist, you grant Amazon Publishing the exclusive first publication rights to your Entry in all formats. If you are selected as a Quarter Finalist, Amazon Publishing’s exclusive first publication rights to your Entry terminate when you are eliminated from the Contest (unless you are selected as a Semi-Finalist); and if you are selected as a Semi-Finalist, Amazon Publishing’s exclusive first publishing Rights to your Entry terminate after June 30, 2013. If you are not a Winner and Amazon Publishing notifies you that it wishes to publish your Entry, you agree to negotiate the terms and conditions of a publishing agreement exclusively with Amazon Publishing for a period of 30 days after you receive notification from Amazon Publishing. If you and Amazon Publishing have not reached agreement after 30 days, you may offer the work to other publishers on the condition that before you enter into an agreement with another publisher, you will afford Amazon Publishing the last right to publish your Entry on the same terms and conditions offered by any other publisher, plus an advance against royalties 10% greater than the other offer. Amazon Publishing must communicate its decision to you within 5 business days after you have provided written notice of the other publisher’s terms and conditions. If Amazon Publishing declines or fails to act within that period, you will not have any further obligation to Amazon Publishing, and you may publish the Entry with another publisher. By submitting an Entry, you grant us and our respective affiliates and agents permission to use, without charge, portions of your Manuscript, Pitch, or Excerpt, along with your name and stated reason for writing the submitted Entry (if provided) for any purpose in connection with this Contest until June 30, 2013.

After writing out my pros and cons here, and continuing to look over the contest rules and regulations, I've decided to enter.  So my submission, entitled 'The Earths Project: First Earth', will now officially be considered for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

First writing contest I've ever entered!  Holy crap!

If you've somehow stumbled upon my blog and are thinking 'Yes, sign me up, I'd like to enter the contest too' go to this link:

www.createspace.com/abna 

*upon further research, I've discovered that if my genre reaches 10,000 submissions, the contest closes new submissions AND edits on current submissions...and since writing this, I've already submitted my partially edited first draft...hopefully this genre doesn't fill up too soon or I'll have no hope of winning this!!