I'm trying something different with TEMPER. Before, I could never write scenes out of order. *Gasp* the horror! How can I NOT write chronologically? I can't skip this scene and move on to the next- the next scene can't happen yet, because the prior scene hasn't happened yet.
But that was with UNTOUCHED. And for some reason, I'm finding it much easier to wrap my head around separate scenes in TEMPER. Possibly because I'm writing it in 3rd person, and it is somewhat detached. Not as personal. Not as intimate. UT was also very character driven, while TEMPER is very plot driven.
So I'm trying something different. Since I already have the whole story outlined, I'm going to write a very very detailed synopsis of the whole story. Like, 40 pages, 12K words detailed. Then I'm going to fill in the scenes and flush it out and piece it together like a puzzle.
Or, at least, I'm going to try. I'm not quite sure how well this is going to work out. I wont be going from start to finish, I won't be working from chapter one to chapter twenty. I'm going to look at it as a whole, complete work. It's going to be weird. It's going to be different. But I think, in the end, it's going to be really good.
We shall see.
Oh, and next week I'm going to try something new with the blog. My blogging has been sporadic and scarce at best. So next week I'm going to blog Monday through Friday. 5 posts. In a row.
Man, I'm all sorts of crazy these days.
Have a good weekend!
-Kat
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Change Of Plans
I got another partial request today! Woot! This is the first partial from the second batch of queries. So far I've sent out 24 queries- I've gotten 3 partial requests, and 9 rejections. The 2 partials I've already sent were rejected :( but now I have another one to get excited about.
Anyhoo, I planned on working on TEMPER all day, but it occurs to me that I haven't done a read through of UNTOUCHED in about a month. I've just been sending queries and 30-pg partials and (what's the plural for synopsis?) that have already been edited to death. So I'm going to do a run through of UNTOUCHED, then head to the local Staples.
See, I've only been e-querying because it's so much easier, saves the trees, etc. But this agent wants a 75-pg printed partial mailed to her. So I figure while I'm there I'll print up some queries and sample pages so I can send off some snail mail queries. Fun stuff.
Enjoy your day! I will spend mine being a busy little bee.
(That was a weird statement.)
-Kat
Anyhoo, I planned on working on TEMPER all day, but it occurs to me that I haven't done a read through of UNTOUCHED in about a month. I've just been sending queries and 30-pg partials and (what's the plural for synopsis?) that have already been edited to death. So I'm going to do a run through of UNTOUCHED, then head to the local Staples.
See, I've only been e-querying because it's so much easier, saves the trees, etc. But this agent wants a 75-pg printed partial mailed to her. So I figure while I'm there I'll print up some queries and sample pages so I can send off some snail mail queries. Fun stuff.
Enjoy your day! I will spend mine being a busy little bee.
(That was a weird statement.)
-Kat
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tough Choices
Today, another idea hit me. And I am still so torn. It's like my muse is in overdrive- but only on the idea front. I've spent the last couple of weeks flitting between WIPs, typing a paragraph here and a couple pages there. I'm finding it really hard to choose one and invest in it. I don't think I'm going to get very far if I keep juggling all these ideas and voices and characters.
I need to choose one. ONE. And set the others aside, for now.
I'm about to open a word doc for the idea that hit me today. I'm going to try very very hard to stick with this one project. I've outlined the whole story, and I really like the idea and the way the characters are coming together in my brain. I have the next two days off work, and I plan to write as much as possible. Hopefully, I will get somewhere.
* * * * * * * * *
A little teaser of what's to come:
THE TEMPER
16-year-old Connor "The Temper" Thomas has a unique (albeit unimpressive) superpower-- he can heat or cool things with a touch of his hand. When he gets a sidekick job with the legendary superhero Captain Power, he thinks he'll be saving the world. He's less than pleased when he discovers his main responsibilities are keeping the coffee warm and acting as a human ice pack when the Captain's shoulders are sore.
When Captain Power dies during a self staged publicity act gone wrong, Connor feels pressured to assume his identity. The city needs a hero. Or at least the illusion of one. As Connor fumbles through a rescue and thwarts a heist or two, he has almost everyone fooled. Only Freezepop, another sidekick, suspects that there's something different about the Captain. But the villains believe that Captain Power still protects the city, and so they stay away.
When Freezepop discovers the truth she tries to convince Connor to go public- before he gets himself killed trying to keep up with the heroic persona. But identity theft becomes the least of Connor's worries when a super villain comes to town. Blaze Blitz is the real deal- ruthless, determined and diabolical. And he has his eyes set on Captain Power.
Connor knows he's no match for Blaze, but when Blaze kidnaps Freezepop and threatens the town, Connor knows what he must do: defeat the bad guy, rescue the girl, save the city. And hopefully survive long enough to see the sunrise.
Keeping coffee warm never seemed so preferable.
* * * * * * * * *
Oh, yeah. Get excited.
I need to choose one. ONE. And set the others aside, for now.
I'm about to open a word doc for the idea that hit me today. I'm going to try very very hard to stick with this one project. I've outlined the whole story, and I really like the idea and the way the characters are coming together in my brain. I have the next two days off work, and I plan to write as much as possible. Hopefully, I will get somewhere.
* * * * * * * * *
A little teaser of what's to come:
THE TEMPER
16-year-old Connor "The Temper" Thomas has a unique (albeit unimpressive) superpower-- he can heat or cool things with a touch of his hand. When he gets a sidekick job with the legendary superhero Captain Power, he thinks he'll be saving the world. He's less than pleased when he discovers his main responsibilities are keeping the coffee warm and acting as a human ice pack when the Captain's shoulders are sore.
When Captain Power dies during a self staged publicity act gone wrong, Connor feels pressured to assume his identity. The city needs a hero. Or at least the illusion of one. As Connor fumbles through a rescue and thwarts a heist or two, he has almost everyone fooled. Only Freezepop, another sidekick, suspects that there's something different about the Captain. But the villains believe that Captain Power still protects the city, and so they stay away.
When Freezepop discovers the truth she tries to convince Connor to go public- before he gets himself killed trying to keep up with the heroic persona. But identity theft becomes the least of Connor's worries when a super villain comes to town. Blaze Blitz is the real deal- ruthless, determined and diabolical. And he has his eyes set on Captain Power.
Connor knows he's no match for Blaze, but when Blaze kidnaps Freezepop and threatens the town, Connor knows what he must do: defeat the bad guy, rescue the girl, save the city. And hopefully survive long enough to see the sunrise.
Keeping coffee warm never seemed so preferable.
* * * * * * * * *
Oh, yeah. Get excited.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I'm Not Dead
Hi guys! I've been slacking on the blogging lately. I know, I'm a horrible person. But it's summer, and I've been busy with real life. Weird, huh? I have been keeping up with all the blogs I follow, opening my Google Reader to 60-ish posts a day. Yeah, that's been keeping me busy too.
I haven't had much news to share on the querying front. I sent out a batch of 10 queries today, and yes, sadly, that took up most of my day. I'm really scarily obsessive over making sure my queries are perfect and I follow the guidelines exactly, so it takes me a long time to send each one. I personalize all of them, and double check that I've included any sample pages or a synopsis if that is part of the specific agent's guidelines.
(Oh, yeah, I'll say it again. I love Querytracker.net. Seriously. I think anyone going through the query process should use this amazing organizational tool. It makes everything so much easier.)
I've had two partial requests so far, one was a reject, the other I'm still awaiting a response. I've gotten a handful of query rejects, but that's the way this writing life is. I'm not too heartbroken, this is a business after all, and I have faith I'll find the perfect agent for me. Eventually. Hopefully.
On the writing front, it seems I am taking after Lisa and Laura. That's right, I am officially an idea whore. I can't stick to just one, and last week I was hit with a *new* idea. And it's really good! It's about a teen girl who can assume other people's identities (talk about an identity crisis). I've outlined the whole story, and I really like the direction it's going. But I'm still torn. Guess I'm still playing the field until one of these ideas can convince me to settle down. (Or maybe a new one will come along and sweep me off my feet.)
So yes, that is what I've been up to lately. How are you guys? How are your writing projects coming along?
Kat
I haven't had much news to share on the querying front. I sent out a batch of 10 queries today, and yes, sadly, that took up most of my day. I'm really scarily obsessive over making sure my queries are perfect and I follow the guidelines exactly, so it takes me a long time to send each one. I personalize all of them, and double check that I've included any sample pages or a synopsis if that is part of the specific agent's guidelines.
(Oh, yeah, I'll say it again. I love Querytracker.net. Seriously. I think anyone going through the query process should use this amazing organizational tool. It makes everything so much easier.)
I've had two partial requests so far, one was a reject, the other I'm still awaiting a response. I've gotten a handful of query rejects, but that's the way this writing life is. I'm not too heartbroken, this is a business after all, and I have faith I'll find the perfect agent for me. Eventually. Hopefully.
On the writing front, it seems I am taking after Lisa and Laura. That's right, I am officially an idea whore. I can't stick to just one, and last week I was hit with a *new* idea. And it's really good! It's about a teen girl who can assume other people's identities (talk about an identity crisis). I've outlined the whole story, and I really like the direction it's going. But I'm still torn. Guess I'm still playing the field until one of these ideas can convince me to settle down. (Or maybe a new one will come along and sweep me off my feet.)
So yes, that is what I've been up to lately. How are you guys? How are your writing projects coming along?
Kat
Friday, July 17, 2009
Stoked
Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything from the four queries or the one partial I have out. So I've just been waiting, waiting, and waiting. It's not all bad though, because I have plenty of ideas that keep me too busy to check my email every 4 minutes.
But this is where I'm conflicted. I have too many ideas, and I'm really excited about all of them for different reasons. It was almost impossible to choose. And then, just as I felt I had made up my mind, this new idea pops into my head.
And, oh man, this is a good one. Lately I've been trying to come up with an original idea for a dystopian world, because I really want to immerse myself in the world building that goes along with that. (I love fantasy world building. It's like being omnipotent. Or the Dungeon Master.)
And now I have a great idea for a new, dark world! I'm really excited. I have the whole story outlined, and right now I'm diving deeper into my characters' pasts and motivations. I'm also going to try a new writing approach with this one. When I write it, I'm going to focus on THE STORY, and not THE WRITING.
Which I tried to do with Untouched, but in reality I put a lot of emphasis on the eloquence of the writing, and the flow and the pace. Maybe this time I'll learn how to turn off my inner editor and ignore the horrible prose for the time being.
I'm calling the new WiP "Blood Ties" for now, but I'm not sold on the name. It will probably (hopefully) change soon. Blood Ties is already at 4K words.
Oh, and it's not about vampires, by the way.
It's about magic.
Ooooohhh...
But this is where I'm conflicted. I have too many ideas, and I'm really excited about all of them for different reasons. It was almost impossible to choose. And then, just as I felt I had made up my mind, this new idea pops into my head.
And, oh man, this is a good one. Lately I've been trying to come up with an original idea for a dystopian world, because I really want to immerse myself in the world building that goes along with that. (I love fantasy world building. It's like being omnipotent. Or the Dungeon Master.)
And now I have a great idea for a new, dark world! I'm really excited. I have the whole story outlined, and right now I'm diving deeper into my characters' pasts and motivations. I'm also going to try a new writing approach with this one. When I write it, I'm going to focus on THE STORY, and not THE WRITING.
Which I tried to do with Untouched, but in reality I put a lot of emphasis on the eloquence of the writing, and the flow and the pace. Maybe this time I'll learn how to turn off my inner editor and ignore the horrible prose for the time being.
I'm calling the new WiP "Blood Ties" for now, but I'm not sold on the name. It will probably (hopefully) change soon. Blood Ties is already at 4K words.
Oh, and it's not about vampires, by the way.
It's about magic.
Ooooohhh...
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Lazy Saturday
I got my first query rejection the other day. So far I have only gotten one other rejection, on a partial.
Stats:
Queries: 7 sent- 2 partial requests, 1 rejection, 4 pending
Partials: 2 sent- 1 rejection, 1 pending
Soooo I'm waiting for responses from 1 partial, and 4 queries. And throughout this process, Querytracker.net has been my best friend. Seriously, this is a fantastic tool for querying- it records what agencies you've sent queries/partials/fulls to, what the response was, and is just generally fabulous for organizational purposes.
I plan on sending out more queries this week. (Query widely and don't give up, right?) I'm just taking things a bit slow, I want to make sure I'm sending out my best work, and if I get more partial rejections and no full requests, then I'll know something isn't working there and I'll have to fix it. We shall see.
My question for you: Do you have a dream agent? You know, the one you would say absolutely yes to if they ever offered rep? And if so, would you query them first because they're your first choice? Or would you wait to query them until after being rejected by others and fixing any problems to make sure they are getting your absolute best? Just curious...
Hope your weekend is going well!
-Kat
Stats:
Queries: 7 sent- 2 partial requests, 1 rejection, 4 pending
Partials: 2 sent- 1 rejection, 1 pending
Soooo I'm waiting for responses from 1 partial, and 4 queries. And throughout this process, Querytracker.net has been my best friend. Seriously, this is a fantastic tool for querying- it records what agencies you've sent queries/partials/fulls to, what the response was, and is just generally fabulous for organizational purposes.
I plan on sending out more queries this week. (Query widely and don't give up, right?) I'm just taking things a bit slow, I want to make sure I'm sending out my best work, and if I get more partial rejections and no full requests, then I'll know something isn't working there and I'll have to fix it. We shall see.
My question for you: Do you have a dream agent? You know, the one you would say absolutely yes to if they ever offered rep? And if so, would you query them first because they're your first choice? Or would you wait to query them until after being rejected by others and fixing any problems to make sure they are getting your absolute best? Just curious...
Hope your weekend is going well!
-Kat
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Something's Working
Soooo, five minutes and six seconds past four o'clock today, the time and date read:
04:05:06 07/08/09
Pretty cool, huh? Yeah. It is.
Anyhoo, not much else to say except that I got another partial request yesterday.
Stats
Queries: 5 sent, 2 requests, 0 rejections
Partials: 2 sent, 1 rejection
So it looks like my query is working, it hasn't been rejected yet and has garnered two partial requests, both the following day after querying! But one agent who requested a partial already decided to pass- I'm hoping that my partial wasn't dreadful, and that it just did not fit their list.
GAH! OH GOD, WHAT IF MY PARTIAL IS DREADFUL??????
Guess now comes the hard part... waiting. And waiting. Then perhaps a bit more waiting.
Sigh.
My question for you: What stage of the writing/publishing process are you all on? Writing, Rewriting, Editing, Querying, etc?
04:05:06 07/08/09
Pretty cool, huh? Yeah. It is.
Anyhoo, not much else to say except that I got another partial request yesterday.
Stats
Queries: 5 sent, 2 requests, 0 rejections
Partials: 2 sent, 1 rejection
So it looks like my query is working, it hasn't been rejected yet and has garnered two partial requests, both the following day after querying! But one agent who requested a partial already decided to pass- I'm hoping that my partial wasn't dreadful, and that it just did not fit their list.
GAH! OH GOD, WHAT IF MY PARTIAL IS DREADFUL??????
Guess now comes the hard part... waiting. And waiting. Then perhaps a bit more waiting.
Sigh.
My question for you: What stage of the writing/publishing process are you all on? Writing, Rewriting, Editing, Querying, etc?
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