Teens Writing for Teens, the 5th

If it makes you feel better, I only got up to about 20 queries in ELF, and 30 for Wake Up and 12 in Against the Dying (but that's just cause I lost heart after the agent forgot my book )

I know it sucks...but the way I figure it, no writing is wasted. Every book you write makes the next book better, assuming you keep paying attention.

But I'm not going to lie...it does suck. A lot.

*hugs Para*

Of course, me giving advice sometimes feels like a member of the proletariat who wins the lottery and becomes a member of the bourgeoisie and tries to give good advice, but...I just keep thinking it's all luck.

But, it's not ALL luck? I mean, you have to write good books, right?

Well, I don't know. What is a good book? It's about what agents and editors and the public think are good. And there are so many variables.

So, basically, I was useless before, but now I'm worried that I'm both useless AND offensive and condescending

PS: I need sleep. Put helpful advice in the space provided [______________________________]

I know your probably not in the mood to have a pick up but hate hearing people give up on books. Again i've never queried, but I know alot about feeling utterly crushed on a daily basis, for a number of reason.

One reason is that out of the 37 people who said they would be my beta for LotF. 3 commented up to the 4-8 chapters and dropped off the face of the earth. 1 commented on roughly half. And 1 read and commented on the whole thing. The other 32 people either sent me an email saying it was too much for them, they couldn't get into it, didnt like it and would have to quiet, or simply dropped off the face of the earth and never replied.

So out of 37 people, 1 was able to finish it.... Now i understand this isnt the same as querying because these people arnt agents, but that's just 36 people that either got busy and forgot or simply hated the shit out of it, either way it doesnt matter. But in the end i got one person to read it!

In my opinion that is 35 agents who just overlook your query letter or just didn't like the query letter. There are hundreds of other agents out there. You just haven't found your one yet! Point is... if you love your book, if you spent all those years on it... dont give up just because 35 people didnt like it or overlooked.

If it makes you feel better i have probably more then 35 people who hate me personally! But what's important is i have a few people who love me.

An agent will come along. Just give it a little more time

Zoombie said:

Of course, me giving advice sometimes feels like a member of the proletariat who wins the lottery and becomes a member of the bourgeoisie and tries to give good advice, but...I just keep thinking it's all luck.

But, it's not ALL luck? I mean, you have to write good books, right?

Well, I don't know. What is a good book? It's about what agents and editors and the public think are good. And there are so many variables.

So, basically, I was useless before, but now I'm worried that I'm both useless AND offensive and condescending

PS: I need sleep. Put helpful advice in the space provided [______________________________]

Click to expand...

Hehehehehe. Personally i dont believe in luck. I dont believe in luck or wishes. Walt Disney would hate me. I dont even know if i believe in praying anymore.

You got your book signed because you took the initiative to go to a small publisher, and they liked your book. You just cut out the middle man, still the same as getting a middle man agent. (congrats again by the way!)

In my opinion lucks got nothing to do with anything. Hell hard-work doesnt even make good things happen most of the time. But alot of determination (the kind that just wont die), and alot of stubbornness make things happen.

See, I, on the flip side, don't understand how a person can give up that easily.

I mean, this is what I want. This is my dream. And I know without a smidgen of doubt that it's going to happen. I know it. This dream is all of me. I sleep it, breathe it, bleed it. Nothing could make me give up.

So, to quote Han Solo, never tell me the odds.

I agree with you there Tally. But i can understand giving up. I've almost done it a million times in bouts of depression.

I've given up every dream i've ever had with the exception of getting published this last year, so i'm holding onto this dream tighter then ever before now.

Plus have you ever thought about potentially doing e-publishing. I know it not as well respected, but if you have a good book you have a good book. If you love it and want to get it out there, e-publishing can do that.

That's my backup plan. When i get to querying, and after every single agent out there that accepts the genre turns me down then i'll e-pub them. Because one damn way or another they will get out there!

ETA: Really big nerd moment alert... but did you guys know that chewbacca is killed by a MOON a freaking MOON LANDS ON HIM! and that's how he dies! My friend just told me the other day and i was like COOLEST WAY TO DIE EVER!

A moon lands on him? Holy crap.

Sure, I get depressed. But all of my depression comes from my insecurities in myself, never about my writing. I just... I don't give up on big dreams. Maybe it comes from being an athlete, but I've always understood that success hurts. You have to bleed a little.

Hi, guys.

Hello!

I'm EXHAUSTED.

Hey Lisa!

Yeah he dies saving Hon and Lea's one sun as a moon is about to crash on them. Saves the kid but doesnt get on the craft fast enough and pancake!

As for big dreams. Yeah alot of us do get depressed about our writing though. Me for example I have no cheer leading squad behind me. Had to keep my writing hidden for 5 years, then when i did openly tell people i wrote no one ever cared. My BF was the only one who read 6 of my books but he stopped now. As i said before most of my betas all... 32 of them stopped reading and never responded to me. That takes a serious drain on your self confidence as a writer.

Only thing that keeps me from quieting is something my senior year HS English teacher said to me. Funny how one persons opinion can give you all the confidence in the world. Even funnier is how i dont value my mom or bf's opinion when it comes to my writing though.

I am stressed. Really stressed.

Yes, I am lucky to have a really supportive family.

But everything that happens to me makes me really determined. I guess I have so much self-hatred for things I technically can't change that when there's something I can control I cling onto it like nobody's business.

Yes, I know, I can't control whether any agents represent me. But in my mind, I can control my success in publishing. So.

Awwww sorry Lisa.

I know what you mean though i have an exam in... 5 hours and I've figured out alot... but not enough to pass. So far tonight I had three cups of tea with a total of 12 tea bags, and 4 mental meltdowns... this is how my night has been is smilies

I'm glad you have that determination. Personally i think that stubbornness and nerve are the only three things that gets a person towards there dream.

Grrrrrrr! Now i figured most of my practice problems out... but now I need to remember/ teach myself how to find a limiting reactant otherwise i'm totally screwed!!!!

I have no idea where I'm supposed to go for author interviews.

I'm still waiting for replies from the library people for my bourgh, Cassie Clare, and Christopher Little. The coursework is due in three weeks.

I heard someone mention I have to bleed... and I had to calm the shakes. I don't do blood. Well.. not the kind that hurts anyway.

I've given up a few times. It's not like I actually have anyone to stop me from it. Apart from myself, and I'm weak. I have too many insecurities, I'm not confident in ANYTHING.
The one thing I'm even remotely good at is ignored by my family, SO... I just keep chugging along.
There are, of course, people that will put me down. But I do try to ignore them. It's definitely not easy. But I have two friends that encourage me to no end.

I can't say I've ever had a 'dream' because saying that imo is sooo cliche, but maybe that's just because I've never had the opportunity to dream big.

um.... yeah.

Kat, most of us are the same way. Your no alone!

I'm insecure about alot of things. My intellect, graduating at all, my writing, physical aspects of myself. Its just human nature. But as someone who has read your work, dont be so insecure about that! Your a good writer!

As for dreams, sometimes there overrated, for when you cant reach them, its the worst blow a person can take.

Thanks for the compliment, Ally. 'ppreciate it.
I think what hits my confidence more is when I get half way through writing a story and then either get bored or lose focus. I end up drifting to something else. and so on and so forth the chain goes.
And from what loads of people have said, that they trunk their first novels, I always feel like I have to do that too. I guess because I'm relatively new to the professional side of things (pfft. I am not professional!) so I follow the leader, so to speak.

It's hard to trust my own gut feeling. Especially when that gut feeling says everything sucks. lol
I'm only fairly confident in my fan-fiction because I get lots of lovely reviews and plenty of hits, so it boosts me up a bit.
And it's easier to do fanfic because it's based off characters I already know. Where as my own stuff is harder because... well, I guess I never get that into a character. And I should. I should get involved in my own characters. Ugh.

Dont follow the leader. Just don't. I've heard the same advice, but guess what. I never trucked my first novel, in fact its in better condition then ever. 10 years later and i'm still working on it.

Did it suck originally? Yeah i'm not going to lie, my 11-14 year old self couldn't write for shit. But that doesn't mean the idea wasn't brilliant. And in my mind and others i've told the plot too or who have read it think its an awesome plot! The plot never changed the writing changed around it. This is my 7th re-write now. But i would and could never just throw this book away. Hell I've never thrown a story away. (well in all reality i did give up on one when i was 10.. but that's because it was ripped up in front of me so i don't count that one.)

Any story can be fixed. It will take work, but it can be so if you love something never give up on it. My first book was the thing that got me writing. It changed my life for the better. Hell i wouldn't even be alive right now if it wasn't for my first book, so i owe it to my book to never give up on it.

Yeah, I guess you're right.
I'm currently reading a book called Bleeding Hearts (book 4 of the Drake Chronicles.)

This story is what first inspired me to write my vampire story, and I'm hoping it will inspire me to continue with it. I just need to edit, re-edit, and hope the story can be successful I think once I get this done, it might get me boosted to finish the other dozen stories I've started. haha

I have no idea how to find agents that are available for interviews...

See that's the spirit! I kind of wish I had something that had inspired my first book. I have to relay on old painful memories, and old songs i used to listen to while i wrote it all those years ago to get re-motivated with it.

You guys want to know an interesting fact i found out? (rhetorical question i'm going to tell you anyway!)

Did you know C.S.Lewis J.K Tolkien, and a few other famous writers all knew each other? Did you know that in one interview with Tolkiens son or grandson (i cant remember which) he said he dad/granddad often accounted his success to his fellow writer friends?

I knew that.

I'm cripplingly insecure about myself, but I'm very secure in my abilities (performing, writing, swimming). So, I've come to associate pain with success. Remember, I've spent years in physical therapy for swimming injuries and have legs covered in year-old bruises I've obtained onstage. And I channel all of my internal demons into my writing. So...

I find it interesting! They all turned out to be such big hits because they helped eachother out. I dont know why but that makes me happy!

Anyway. So in TAJ i'm like a few K away from THE END!

So just wondering anyone here interesting in being a beta reader for The Amnesia Journey? Its a YA Fantasy that will be finishing up around 130-135K by the end of this week. To find out what its about here is a link. Its the second book down.