"Old" People Writing for Teens V
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SoCalWriter - I follow you on Twitter and saw your book video today. I like all your videos, but that one was especially interesting. Good luck to you with NaNo this year. Remember the prizes include 1/2 price off Scrivener.
I hear there is a big book community on YouTube, but I am not part of that.
I hear there is a big book community on YouTube, but I am not part of that.
Yep, I complained on the 17th, and the seller has until the 27th to respond. Not sure what PayPal's next step will be, but since the seller already cancelled the sale, and I've gone completely beyond the week she was supposed to work on my cover without a peep from her, I'm sure she'll just not respond.
Okay, guys, in way more fun news, I fell in love with a kitten on twitter. She basically looks like my Jezzie reincarnated (she passed last November), and I figure that if I got a kitten that looked like his sister, maybe my grumpy old man, Jasper, won't hate me for bringing a baby home. I spent all day dreaming about the kitten and following the rescuer's twitter account for videos and news and to see if she gets scooped up, which she hasn't been so far. She's up in LA, which is a couple of hours away, but when you fall in love, you'll to go great lengths (okay, so 2 hours is literally as far as I'd be willing to go). The sticking point is that I still live with my parents. If I lived alone, I'd be driving up tomorrow morning to spend all weekend with this little girl. Unbelievably, it is my mom who I managed to convince tonight, and she is going to discuss it with my dad tomorrow (he would barely look at the video, so I don't know if he was saying "no" subtly, or trying not to fall in love because he was sure Mom'd say "no").
So I may (may, may) get a kitten this weekend!
So I may (may, may) get a kitten this weekend!
Kittens are wonderful! Kind of annoying sometimes, but wonderful all the time! I also really hope things work out with PayPal and you get your money back. That's a really rotten situation. Sometimes people are just dumb.
The last few days have been fairly productive for me--both writing and job search. I applied for a couple of aide positions in the school district for my county, and I'm really hoping one of them works out. I'd love to work in the schools. I keep telling myself no, public education isn't the field for me, but then I always come back to it. Heck, my long-term plan is (once again) to get my masters in school counseling, and do that. I think it would be a good fit.
I'm a little worried about my word count. If things keep going like they are, unless I cut out my second POV (which is kind of important, because he's showing what's going on in the waking world), I'm going to end up around 100K. Which I really don't want. I mean, it's a fantasy, so it's still doable, but I'd much rather be between 80-90.
Yay, Sage! I hope you get the kitten. And I hope your Paypal problems get resolved.
Good luck with the job applications, Bookgirl. And, I hear ya re word count. My current WIP was just over 99K, but I'm doing a final (hopefully) edit and, 100 pages in, I've cut over 1000 words just by tidying up my writing. If I continue like that, I should knock more than 3000 words off without even really trying. I'd like to get it down to 94K if I can (lower would be better, but that's not going to happen), but we'll see... Just keep writing. You can tidy up the word count later if you need to.
I'm currently editing and trying to get my query sorted. The editing is going well. The query, not so much.
Good luck with the job applications, Bookgirl. And, I hear ya re word count. My current WIP was just over 99K, but I'm doing a final (hopefully) edit and, 100 pages in, I've cut over 1000 words just by tidying up my writing. If I continue like that, I should knock more than 3000 words off without even really trying. I'd like to get it down to 94K if I can (lower would be better, but that's not going to happen), but we'll see... Just keep writing. You can tidy up the word count later if you need to.
I'm currently editing and trying to get my query sorted. The editing is going well. The query, not so much.
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I am doing a partial NaNoWriMo in November, where I will finish a manuscript I already started. I only need another 20,000 words. I'm not sure I'll even count (but I probably will). The thing is, I am hosting Write Ins, so, yeah.
I created a cover on Canva. It is a little sad I like this cover almost more than the covers created by my publisher for my previously published novels. LOL.
I created a cover on Canva. It is a little sad I like this cover almost more than the covers created by my publisher for my previously published novels. LOL.
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*Sneaks into thread and waves hello .
JK, I'm doing the same thing for Nano--I'm about 30,000 words into a YA contemp/thriller, so I'm using Nano to get me to the finish line (more or less!)
And YAY for kittens!!! We just took in a baby from outside (well, I did--hubs isn't thrilled). She's more a young cat then kitty at this point, but she's got kitten energy!
. JK, I'm doing the same thing for Nano--I'm about 30,000 words into a YA contemp/thriller, so I'm using Nano to get me to the finish line (more or less!)
And YAY for kittens!!! We just took in a baby from outside (well, I did--hubs isn't thrilled
). She's more a young cat then kitty at this point, but she's got kitten energy!
Sorry to everyone who has had bad news / hard times!
New kittens / cats = <3 Even though they are annoying when you're trying to write... both my cats are obsessed with my laptop.
I wish I could do NaNo but I'm in no position to participate this year. I'm still trying to bash out a plan for a new book, and that takes me ages. Word counts are funny... we're told not to worry about them and just write the books as they come, but like it or not, it does make sense for most of us to adhere to the length of other books being published. I can think of so many YA books that are very long for their type, but agent said to view them as the exceptions rather than the norms. I recently hacked 7k off a MS so am feeling a bit raw about all of this.
New kittens / cats = <3 Even though they are annoying when you're trying to write... both my cats are obsessed with my laptop.
I wish I could do NaNo but I'm in no position to participate this year. I'm still trying to bash out a plan for a new book, and that takes me ages. Word counts are funny... we're told not to worry about them and just write the books as they come, but like it or not, it does make sense for most of us to adhere to the length of other books being published. I can think of so many YA books that are very long for their type, but agent said to view them as the exceptions rather than the norms. I recently hacked 7k off a MS so am feeling a bit raw about all of this.
What is it about cats and laptops? The newest kitty is always climbing on mine (she may have accidentally blocked a few peeps on Twitter ).
Raggy, best of luck on the book plan!!! And I know what you mean about word counts. I tend to write on the short side (50,000 is the norm, give or take) but a fair number of YA contemps come in longer, so...
).Raggy, best of luck on the book plan!!! And I know what you mean about word counts. I tend to write on the short side (50,000 is the norm, give or take) but a fair number of YA contemps come in longer, so...
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Re. word counts - I thought my writing was pretty clean, but I've been cutting a word or two here and there as I go through my ms again after a break, and I've cut about 700 words in the first 260 pages. I wanted to officially get it under 90k in anticipation of adding words back in once I get another beta reader's feedback, and I'm pleased to report I'm at 89,800 (approx) with another 70 pages left to edit. Basically, I didn't want to creep up to 91k when querying, so goal has currently been achieved, lol.
On my third round with PayPal about the refund. They found in favor of the seller because there was already a refund despite no money ever reaching me *eye roll,* so I called last Saturday. I was assured that they would deal with it in 24-72 hours. Well, it's a week later and nothing, not even an e-mail. So I'm calling again, and, hey, no evidence that I called last week at all. So here we go again, but at least I'm getting a ticket number.
But, in happier news: Kitten!
ETA: Refund in my account!
But still, I'm not working on the self-publishing until 2019.
But, in happier news: Kitten!
ETA: Refund in my account!
But still, I'm not working on the self-publishing until 2019.
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Hello Everyone. Its been YEARS since I was on here, but I dropped in to say hi, since I'm trying to start writing again. Went to TWFT (which was empty), but I mean technically its been a LONG time since I was a teen.... guess I should make the switch.
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Welcome aboard OPWFT!
Sage, I am loving all the kitten updates.
Nano-season goes on. I did something stupid and queried an agent because of an MSWL during November, so now that's a giant distraction I'm trying to push aside. I wish querying didn't make my otherwise (mostly) sane writer-brain turn into an anxious mess.
Sage, I am loving all the kitten updates.
Nano-season goes on. I did something stupid and queried an agent because of an MSWL during November, so now that's a giant distraction I'm trying to push aside. I wish querying didn't make my otherwise (mostly) sane writer-brain turn into an anxious mess.
11K revised/rewritten/written over the course of a couple of days. It's a good thing I only have ~10K to go. Being this close is good for when exhaustion means you need an extra push to finish.
That sounds exhausting BG! but great job!
I'm trying to remember where things are inside of AW. I remember there used to be a Query Letter Hell post thing where you could get info, or post a sample one.
Been working on mine a lot lately, not that its any good. (I'm utterly hopeless when it comes to writing one). I know when my cousin comes out for thanksgiving hes going to ask what I've done with it, and like the last three years I'll make up some excuse that I've been busy, rather then just saying I'm scared and cant write a query letter....
I'm trying to remember where things are inside of AW. I remember there used to be a Query Letter Hell post thing where you could get info, or post a sample one.
Been working on mine a lot lately, not that its any good. (I'm utterly hopeless when it comes to writing one). I know when my cousin comes out for thanksgiving hes going to ask what I've done with it, and like the last three years I'll make up some excuse that I've been busy, rather then just saying I'm scared and cant write a query letter....
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Query Letter Hell is in the Share Your Work section (right towards the bottom of the page when you're looking at all the sections). The password to get in is vista.
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I am failing at finishing this MS. I only have 4,000 words so far for NaNoWriMo. I don't know how many more are in me, because I don't know how this story ends. SOB! I just want to finish this. Then I can fix it. I just don't know how!
Im at the same point. A little less I got about 3000 words. Not technically doing NaNo, but I feel your pain. We still got some time left, I'm sure you'll figure it all out.
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Just write something you two! 
You can always do something different next draft.
On a related note... Help? My nano is giant. I think I'd got too much plot, and I'm definitely taking too long doling it out. It's looking like a 130k first draft, and WCs don't change much in edits.
You can always do something different next draft.On a related note... Help? My nano is giant. I think I'd got too much plot, and I'm definitely taking too long doling it out. It's looking like a 130k first draft, and WCs don't change much in edits.
Just write something you two!
On a related note... Help? My nano is giant. I think I'd got too much plot, and I'm definitely taking too long doling it out. It's looking like a 130k first draft, and WCs don't change much in edits.
If it makes you feel any better, my first draft of the book I've been revising was almost 110K. After two or three rounds of revisions, I'd gotten it down around 97, and then the one I'm working from (my sixth) was ~87. So I managed to cut over 20K (of course, now I'm edging up towards 90-95K again
). I'm not sure what I can do to help, but I will in any way I can.