End of May Update...

So, one month after my first submission, the rejections are rolling in thick and fast.

Oh, the glory of failure!

Last night (7pm on a Friday, I mean come on! Give me a break!), I heard back from the very first agent I sent to. Another no, of course. I know I said I was realistic about my prospects, but I couldn't help feeling pretty down about being rejected. It was my very first go-to after all. Cue self-pitying sulk and a large glass of wine.

The trouble with submissions - and the inevitable rejections that come with them - is that you go in totally blind. Most of the responses you get are form letters, typed up years ago to send to every 'No thank you' submission. Without feedback, it's hard to understand why your writing is being rejected.

Are my characters flawed? 
Did I write the cover letter wrong?
Was my synopsis lacking?

Is my writing just terrible?
WHY DON'T YOU LIKE MEEEEEEEE?!?

Of course, agencies are overwhelmed. They don't have time to give critique on every submission. But it's still pretty rough to be on the receiving end, with no hints to help you improve.

All I can do right now is keep trying. But I can't help but wonder if I ought to change something. (Re-write? Edit? Start again? Something!) Ultimately, I am SO proud of 'Grey Sister' and I love the story and the characters as they first appeared. But I realise it isn't perfect and that knowledge gives the rejections room to itch.

 As well as submissions, I've also started writing Book Two in the 'Ellorah' series. It's lovely to be back at the beginning again, planning new plots and creating new characters. I can't wait to explore Thea's story more. 

I hope I have some better news next month...

Rejection #2

Date Submitted: 3rd May 2014

Date of Rejection: 24th May 2014

Response Time: 15 working days (3 weeks)

Rejection Type: Form, no further request.

***

I was better prepared for the rejection note this time and I wasn't so upset as I was with #1. This agency was one of the less specific ones I've chosen and I approached them more for their wider experiences than because they are known to produce a lot of fantasy titles. 

The form letter was a little softer than the first and - though, of course, I know it IS just a standard response - it left me feeling a little more optimistic about my chances elsewhere. 

It probably took a little longer to hear back because the submission was sent through the post, rather than email.

Rejection #1

Date submitted: 30th April 2014

Date of Rejection: 9th May 2014

Response Time: 8 working days

Rejection Type: Form, no further request.

***

My very first rejection. Hurray and Huzzah! I'm part of the big leagues now.

I was more shaken by my first rejection than I thought I'd be. I was so prepared to be upbeat and, though I did expect it, it was still a little unsettling to get that first knock. No tears though, which was good since I was at work when the email came!

This was a large agency, with an established rapour and a big team of staff. I chose them because they represented an author I greatly admire *ahem*, with the dream of being on the same books as a hero of mine.

Que sera sera. Onwards and upwards! Bring on the next contender!

Birthday Book Haul...

Loath though I am to jump on the internet meme train (I'm not- I've just never had the opportunity to play with the cool kids), I thought I'd have a go at a book haul. The girls at work have me a Waterstone's voucher for my birthday, which I had a brilliant time spending...

'ACID' by Emma Pass

I picked this up after finding Pass while looking for agents. Pass is actually on the books of the very first agent I submitted to (no responses yet. My butterflies have butterflies!). I read the whole thing in two days- due to enjoyment, not shortness. 'ACID' is your standard modern-day dystopian, complete with modern-day dystopian booty-kicking heroine. I loved the premise, though it was a little disappointing that one of the biggest revelations of the book was given away in the blurb... a fun book though and a nice variation from a trilogy/series.

'Fangirl' by Rainbow Rowell 

I heard about 'Fangirl' through the artist who designed the cover art, who I happen to follow on tumblr. Having been the awkward fanfiction writing teenager myself, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. Rowell's writing is so lyrical and swift and deliciously funny! It was such a pleasure to read, with real gasp-out-loud drama and tummy-warming references to nerd culture that just made my little dorky soul so happy. Probably my favourite of the haul. 

'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' by Laini Taylor 

I've had my eyes on this one for a while and I've heard lots of good things about Taylor. I always love finding a new series. Can't wait! 

'The Prisoner of Heaven' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This was a gift from my boyfriend. It's a little different from the things I usually read (no magic, no female lead, no apparent romantic tension) so it'll be interesting to expand my horizons a little. It's all about the power of books though...

'The Wild Girl' by Kate Forsyth 

This was a spur of the moment pick-up but I loved the blurb (and the cover) so much I wanted to take a chance. The story, based on the Brothers Grimm, sounded brilliant and I'm always a sucker for a good romance! 

Happy reading to me!

End of April Update...

My big goal for April was to have 'Grey Sister' ready for submission. And I'm pleased to say I made it!

On Monday, the day before my big deadline (my 23rd birthday, I'm so old now), I took my big brown envelope to the post office and sent it on its merry way to the big city. A veritable Dick Whittington indeed!

I'm very conservative about the kind of reception my first submission is likely to receive. For one thing, I went for a very small, one-woman agency. This means that, while there might be more chance of my manuscript being seen, there's also a far slimmer chance that the agent is going to have the time/space on her books to take me on. However, I made sure the agency was tailored towards my genre (fantasy and young adult, even though I'm unsure about the age restrictions as of yet) and I've seen plenty of favourable recommendations, the most subtle of which describes her as "a lovely lady", which I hope will improve my chances of at least not being completely shot down. Even if I do get nothing but a rejection slip though, I'm so glad I've done it.

Last week I went to a novelist support group, run by the same group as the manuscript critique group. While I'm beginning to sound like a addict going through rehab, going to these meetings has been very helpful. Apart from anything else, writing is a lonely occupation, so meeting other people going through the same experience is always reassuring. I was also able to take away the kind of success stories that encourage me not to give up before I've tried.

There was another scary moment to confront this week, when I finally told my parents about my writing. As I've mentioned before, I've not told many people about my ambitions, so telling Mum and Dad was daunting for me. They were both so supportive though and interested to find out more about what I've been doing. I'm glad I waited until there was 'something to tell' though: I don't think I could have coped with having to answer endless questions while I was in the midst of first draft fever!

I've got another submission ready to send off in the morning (when, hopefully, I'll have figured out how to fluff that cover letter into shape) and I'm hoping to have at least one or two more sent by the end of the week. It's a really scary time, but I'm ready for the rejections to do their worst. Maybe I'll even find my Fairy God-Agent some day!

Criticism, Feedback and Confidence...

Having finished 'Grey Sister', I've been approaching that terrifying ultimatum: submission.

This, of course, means letting other people read and, inevitably, criticise my work. It's a necessary evil on the path to publication, but the first step is always the hardest and the fear of rejection will inevitably rear its head. What if the feedback is bad? What if no one likes it? What if this isn't for me after all?!

It's advisable to get feedback before launching head-first at the professionals. Giving your writing to friends and family is a great way to test the water. They'll undoubtedly give you the encouragement you need to hear and tell you what works. Of course, such lovely and supportive darlings as your nearest and dearest will probably avoid the harder truths for the sake of saving your feelings. I still think asking people you know to have a read-through is a good thing (if nothing else, it gives you a more gentle introduction to the criticism monster!). But, once you've had your pat on the back and well deserved high-fives, it's time to give yourself a bigger test.

In the past fortnight, I submitted my synopsis (aimed to attract a prospective agent) to an online forum. It was, to be honest, ripped apart. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure my critic was aiming to be helpful and I understand that my synopsis was a not-all-together-well-researched first attempt. But it was pretty hard to hear and had me scampering for the safety of my blanket and a strong glass of merlot.

I've also been to a writers critique group run by my local (and lovely) writers group, who kindly allowed me to join them. Having sent in my piece (an extract from Chapter 1), all the submissions were sent out to the attending group so we could have a look through and get some ideas ready. It felt good to be able to give as well as receive feedback and gave a great feeling of support to the meeting. The group assured me beforehand that they would be gentle, but it honestly felt like such a welcoming and supportive group that I can't imagine they would ever be harsh or careless in their feedback. They were all very positive, giving everyone encouragement, as well as ideas for improvements. What criticism they did give was well thought out and always outnumbered by the positive reflections on the piece. 

It's made me realise that there are some things to remember in giving good feedback. 

Be sensitive. 

When someone lets you see their work - whether it's writing, or art, or an essay for school - you need to remember that this is something a person has worked hard on and is, most likely something they're nervous to have criticised. Focus on the positives and point out the things you think work well first. Even if it's something obvious, it's good to let them know they did well. 

Don't be unnecessarily harsh. 

If there's a problem or a repeated error, don't make a joke of it or rip it apart. Again, be sensitive. No one wants to hear that they've messed up, especially if the mistakes are given more importance than the successes. 

Be honest. 

If something doesn't work, say so. While there's no reason to be unkind, the author hasn't asked for your advice just to have their head patted. So long as it's constructive, criticism is invaluable. A writer needs to get an outside perspective to see issues they might not be able to see. Don't let your fear of offending the author stop you from offering your opinion. 

Suggest improvements.

When you see a problem, try to imagine how it could be improved. If there's a grammatical error, say what will fix it. If there's a problem with continuity, point out what's missing. Empty criticism doesn't mean much if a writer has no where to take it. 

And if you're on the receiving end...

Listen. Take notes. Don't take the criticism as an attack, because it IS there to help. But if you disagree, argue your case. No ones perfect and if you strongly believe your original choices were correct, it's within your rights to say so.

I think my forum days might be over, to be honest. But the careful support and encouragement of the writers group was so useful and really helped my confidence. If you have a considerate audience, there shouldn't be anything to fear in asking for advice.

Just be sure you're prepared to be as kind to others as you want them to be to you.

A Day of Editing...

8:00am - Boyfriend leaves for work and I wake up. Browse the internet for a while.

9:00am - Get some coffee and eggs and start on Chapter 18.

10:20am - Get a shower and get dressed.

11:20am - Chapter 19.

11:40am: Chapter 20. Run out of coffee.

12:10pm: Chapter 21.

12:20pm: Chapter 22.

12:35pm: Get distracted by Tumblr.

1:30pm: Pasta break.

1:50pm: Back to work! Chapter 23.

2:15pm: Chapter 24. Squeal over my own characters like a ridiculous fan girl.

2:40pm: Boil kettle to make much-needed tea.

2:50pm: Chapter 25 while painting nails and drinking afore-mentioned tea.

3:20pm: Get distracted by internet again.

3:30pm: Chapter 26.

3:45pm: Chapter 27. I have such a nice computer chair, but nevertheless: my booty hurts.

4:20pm: Finish editing for the day as we're going to a party tonight (which sounds very young and cool of us until you realise it's an 80th birthday party).

Was this really boring to read? I have no idea. Ha ha. Sorry if it was!

End of March Update...

It's strange having an update without a word count. But it's been a busy month and there's been a lot happening, so I wanted to maintain the end of the month progress reports. After finishing the first draft of 'Grey Sister' at the start of the month, I've been busy with proof reading and editing.

I've completely re-written the first two chapters (kill the darlings!), which was the biggest revision I wanted to get done. An author once told me that the first 50,000 words is just about the author finding their voice and that was definitely true about my first attempts at writing! I was a little worried, when I started to read through, to see how rough that first section was. Thankfully it didn't take the whole 50k for my voice to come out and about half way through Chapter 3 I was able to convince myself that, 'it's all right, I'm not so bad at this after all'. Surprisingly the Prologue, which was the very first thing I wrote, didn't seem so bad. I was actually surprised by how much I still liked it. Maybe it's just the emotional tie I have to that first piece of the book. Perhaps an impartial eye would see it differently. I'll just have to wait and see.

I've been working through the rest of the book as well to make the big and small amendments that came up in the read through. Reading through the book as a whole first definitely helped and I can see now how easy it is to get tunnel vision during proof reading. Because I viewed it at a wider scale, I could pick out missing pieces of information, flaws in characters' relationships and inconsistencies in tone and pace. But when it came time to focus in again, I was getting so lost in sentence-to-sentence level details that it would have been impossible to see those problems I could see during the read through. Thankfully I made plenty of notes.

My next deadline is the 29th April, my birthday, by which point I want to submit the manuscript of 'Grey Sister' to at least one agency (wheeeeeze). It's terrifying, but I'm so excited to be finally reaching the point of submission. I have an endless list of jobs to do before then, most important of which is going back over the Prologue and first two chapters to get them to the point of perfection, since those are the ones that go out to agencies before the full MS (though some agencies may ask for the complete work straight away). Then it'll be a matter of writing up a decent cover letter.

Lots of work to do! Busy month ahead.

Review: The Bone Season

'The Bone Season' is the début novel by British author Samantha Shannon. 

Synopsis (from The Bone Season Website)

Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London. Her job is to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing…

'The Bone Season' is another offering to the ever-hungry Gods of The Dystopian. But Shannon really does an excellent job of expanding the genre and giving it a new stage to play on. For the first time, at least in my limited experience, we see clairvoyance, communication with the dead, used as a central magical element. Like Brandon Sanderson's 'Mistborn' trilogy (see my review here), Shannon really works hard to give the reader a new magic to wrap their heads around. And, as with Mistborn, there is plenty to learn! The huge lists of clairvoyant powers and their dissidents at the start of the book intimidated me to begin with and I must admit that even by the end I've still not quite wrapped my brain round all the limits and scope of it. 

While 'The Bone Season' is set in the year 2058, the course of history as we know it is distorted by the take over of Scion at the end of the 19th Century. This gives the setting a bizarre mix of pocket watches and ipads, which I just loved. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch TV on the tube while wearing a waistcoat and lace up boots? Its also nice to have a dystopian future set in the UK. It makes my little English heart happy.

Paige Mahoney, the main character, comes to us as a fully-formed member of the criminal underworld, which is an interesting divergence from the everyday-girl-turned-warrior you often see. It sets up for an brilliant back story and I like the fact that the reader knows this person has already had plenty of experiences even before the start of the story.

I had some struggles trying to actually buy 'The Bone Season'. Primarily because I couldn't find it! I had expected it to be in the YA section, or at the very least with Fantasy, but it was placed with the general fiction. I'm not sure if this is a positive or a negative. It's wonderful to see a book like this included in the bigger collection, but perhaps not highlighting its fantasy genre could turn potential readers away? It's an interesting question and is one that, as someone looking to promote a book to agents, a potentially very important one.

I've been excited to read 'The Bone Season' for months, ever since I first saw it. It had a huge impact on me even before I'd read it. Because, truth be told, it was what made me write 'Grey Sister'. (Beware: hopeless fangirling approaching. Please keep your arms inside the ride at all times.) Because of the author. 

(Isn't she a cutie?)

Samantha Shannon wrote, completed and published 'The Bone Season' at the age of 21, while she was at Oxford completing her degree! During my final year I barely had time to eat, never mind write a book! That someone younger than me had already come so far was a huge inspiration to me and gave me the hope that I could actually try to chase my own dream. The fact that she had written something in my preferred genre helped to. If I hadn't read her bio on the back page of 'The Bone Season', I may never have started writing. So, thank goodness for her! 

'The Bone Season' is the first in a seven-part series (oh dear, we're in for a long haul). The second book, 'The Mime Order' is out 21st October.

I'm going to give 'The Bone Season' 8 out of 10, for being such inspiration and such a fascinating introduction to the story. 

Buy 'The Bone Season' on Amazon.

Keep up to date on Samantha Shannon on her blog. 

Book Cover Dreaming...

One of my favourite ways to procrastinate is to fantasise about what kind of cover I would give 'Grey Sister' should it ever get to have one. 

I love the style of "classic" book covers, like the iconic re-designs from Penguin:

Or how about a real classic?

There's lots of newer books that also have some serious cover-appeal. The mockingjay design on the 'Hunger Games' series is a particular favourite. I'm not a fan of photographs on covers (I think they remind me a little too much of Mills and Boon paperbacks!). I much prefer typography and elegant design. These are a few favourites... 

Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Though any thought of cover design is a looong way away yet, it'd still fun to play around with some ideas. I wonder what my choices say about the kind of book 'Grey Sister' is...?