"Old" People Writing for Teens V

IMO, when people love a book, they want to read more from that author right away. I get that at the library all the time. People will discover an author, then want to read everything they have. If its a series, they want the entire series. If people have to wait, they lose a bit of that enthusiasm, maybe forget about it.

It might be nice to have the entire trilogy published at the same time, or really close together. That's just my gut feeling though. You probably want to do research as to what the experts say.

Sage, I'm really interested in your progress with H/V. Not just because I care about the story but because the the people I've known in real life and been there for the process of their self-publishing have not been very methodical, so I'm interested in seeing the answers to your questions as you go along.
Plus you have all of us for signal boosts and the like!

I'm finally back to a normal (mostly in daylight) schedule next week. I think the lack of continuous hours of sleep has really impacted me making any strides in the current MS. I've been doing a long nap when I get home at noon and then another one at night (like 10p-2a) and while I have probably gotten something like seven hours a day, they don't seem to work as well as when they are continuous. Plus, I keep falling asleep when I try to read before bed (second nap at least).

Wow, it feels like an age since I've posted here! How is summer going for everyone?

I've had a really bizarre 2018 that demolished all my pretty little writing plans — got recruited by one of my dream employers right after starting the querying process in January and ended up moving to the Bay Area a few months ago. As we were mid-move, I was breezily telling CoffeeBeans, "oh yeah, I'm totally gonna get on these manuscript revisions in my down time before I start the new job." Hahahahaha.

My mojo finally returned when I got back from vacation a few weeks ago, so I at least have the benefit of looking at my work with super-fresh eyes now. And...oh boy. These past six months were not wasted, in that respect. I have so many changes planned. I've already ripped out 25K, rewritten the beginning, rethought the ending, and stirred up the middle. I'm very excited.

Welcome back Borogove! As you can see, so very much has changed since you've been away

And I realized after I posted before re: Sage's SP adventure, obviously a ton of folks here have a ton of great SP experience. For me, it's more something I haven't actively thought out/considered so hearing the questions as they come up is very informative.

Today is my last stupid early morning for a while but I've already heard I'm doing some small travel for the new role (not exciting, just one state over, but upside I'll be able to visit my family when I do it.) It's all definitely a conspiracy to keep me away from my edits... (shhh... just let me believe it)

Was just coming to complain about edits (reached the halfway point) but edits only happen when one is actually editing.

So, I had to change plans.

Ugh guys, I'm so lazy. Why am I so lazy?

Also, emails have already started flying around about Nanowrimo. I have four ideas to pick from. Really excited to be starting something new. All of our Come Write In partners (shops and libraries, etc who want to host with us) have already started emailing. Generally that happens like Oct 20th. August isn't even finished yet!

How's everyone else doing with life and writing at the moment?

CoffeeBeans said:

Was just coming to complain about edits (reached the halfway point) but edits only happen when one is actually editing.

So, I had to change plans.

Ugh guys, I'm so lazy. Why am I so lazy?

Also, emails have already started flying around about Nanowrimo. I have four ideas to pick from. Really excited to be starting something new. All of our Come Write In partners (shops and libraries, etc who want to host with us) have already started emailing. Generally that happens like Oct 20th. August isn't even finished yet!

How's everyone else doing with life and writing at the moment?

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I've been busy polishing my WIP still, but the end is in sight. Last 20 pages to go - phew! Will be submitting to PW tomorrow, and then I'll start catching up on all the sleep I've missed over the last month after burning the candle at both ends, lol.

My word count is higher than I anticipated, but them's all *quality* words, y'all! I'm a little worried it might be a little *too* contemporary sounding, but - dang it!- it's been so much fun, lol. I'm hoping to send out to betas from the BP very soon.

Sage said:

I decided not to whine at you all today about how stressed I am at work. Suffice it to say that I did a great job distracting myself with writing stuff since the BP, with beta notes, self-pubbing prep, and QLH critting, but now I can't even do that. That pretty much sums it up.

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Sorry to hear that, Sage.

I submitted to PW last night, Netz! I don't have high hopes, but at least I did the thing (and a non-writer friend gave my synopsis the last "is this still in English?" read and was all "give me this to read now." so at least there's one more person who has read the book?)

Good luck and let me know how it goes! I find PW particularly stressful, but it's a lot of fun to cheer from the sidelines.

Sorry to hear about work Sage. You're always welcome to whine. We're supportive folks. I started a new role at work and I've spent the last two weeks feeling completely wrong-footed and confused. I'm hoping that improves soon...

Does anybody else feel like after the past year or so they need a vacation from life, or is it just me?

So much, Bookgirl, so much! Though to be fair, I am taking vacation at the end of the week, so I can't complain too much. I hope things ease up on you as well!

It's all just life lately with small bothers (work annoyances, a small flood in my apartment from leaking pipe, etc) But gosh, it is a slog lately.

14 kidney stones (that I'm aware of) since last May, a frozen/burst pipe in December that caused part of the ceiling below it to cave in, surgery in January, skin cancer scare in February/March, my position at work being dissolved at the end of May, being out of work until a few weeks ago--at which point I managed to get a job that I absolutely hate (but it's a paycheck, right?)--, my grandma having some major health issues that ended up giving my dad just enough time to get over to Denmark to see her before she slipped into a coma and passed away a couple of weeks ago, which followed on the heels of the anniversary of my mom's death, and not seeming to be able to go more than a few weeks at a time without getting sick. That's my year in a nutshell, and I'm sick of it.

Okay... I'm done. I'm just feeling a little beat up right now.

How's everyone else doing--in general and on the writing front?

Bookgirl2021 said:

Okay... I'm done. I'm just feeling a little beat up right now.

How's everyone else doing--in general and on the writing front?

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First of all - *hugs*

Doing all right here, feeling fortunate that my corner of NC was mostly spared any real hurricane damage. Haven't written in months, though.

Bookgirl, sending you lots of That is a really rough year.

Writing and general updates from me:

I've finished my current WIP (phew, and yay!) and it's out with betas. Currently catching up on my sleep. I submitted it to Pitch Wars, but haven't had any requests yet. (How about you, CoffeeBeans?)

Two weeks ago a British agent asked for the full of my previous ms, which I'd queried him with in April (sent the 1st 3 chapters back then), but have since shelved as I'd prefer current WIP to be my debut if I ever had the choice. I told him this, as I didn't want to waste his time, but he still wanted to see previous ms (& his intern was anxious to read it as well - yay for ending the 3rd chapter on a cliffhanger, lol). I've sent it and am trying not to refresh my inbox too often for his response.

I'm now on my third beta read of the month (& of the year) and am catching up on some of the TV programmes I've been stockpiling for the last few months because I was too busy writing to watch them!

Hang in there Bookgirl! You've weathered the storm so far

That's great news Netz! Good luck! I've heard nothing from PW, which is a bummer, but I guess not a surprise? I'm feeling a little down on the publishing side of writing as a whole at the moment.

Though, on that point... an agent I follow on twitter was all "Seriously you don't have to pay someone to query your novel!" and while I respect her opinion... you can pay someone to query for you??? Is this a thing? I want to do this. I do think I'd probably be better at querying someone else's novel than my own because my emotions/ego are spared from the process, so maybe that's true if someone else did it for me? That one tweet was literally the only thing I've heard about this. Anyone ever hear of it before?

Thanks, CoffeeBeans.

I can't say I've heard of paying someone to query your novel for you either. But perhaps there should be some kind of querying-swap club, similar to the murder swapping in Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train' or Danny DeVito/Billy Crystal's 'Throw Momma from the Train'. Person A queries Person B's book for them and vice versa.

Netz said:

perhaps there should be some kind of querying-swap club, similar to the murder swapping in Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train' or Danny DeVito/Billy Crystal's 'Throw Momma from the Train'. Person A queries Person B's book for them and vice versa.

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Please can we do this? It sounds perfect!

CoffeeBeans said:

Though, on that point... an agent I follow on twitter was all "Seriously you don't have to pay someone to query your novel!" and while I respect her opinion... you can pay someone to query for you??? Is this a thing? I want to do this. I do think I'd probably be better at querying someone else's novel than my own because my emotions/ego are spared from the process, so maybe that's true if someone else did it for me? That one tweet was literally the only thing I've heard about this. Anyone ever hear of it before?

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I was literally just thinking about this yesterday and I hadn't read that tweet. I was thinking it would be so much easier to have someone else do it all, including writing a query, and then report back with details of agents requesting material rather than going through it yourself. Maybe there's business opportunity there...? Not for me though since I can't write a decent query letter (just ask QLH!).

The tweet: https://twitter.com/laurenspieller/status/1041364018382954496

They note that person says they are querying FOR you. I'm good with someone just taking my existing letter, making a much broader list than I manage (seriously... I send six) and just giving me a shout if anyone nibbles. It's the fear of rejection and the nerves about hitting 'send' that just kills me. I think I'd be braver if it was someone else's work that I could objectively believe is good stuff.

Kiwi, you have a first attempt! One attempt does not a query make. Plus you know I love you MS.

Hey all. I ventured on here a while ago then got eaten up by... stuff... After revisions most of this year, my MS is out again, and now I'm trying to start something new, with, I have to admit, not huge enthusiasm having just decided that the new book I had plotted out is sound and hooky but not something I think it best suited to me writing it. I feel a bit like I don't know which way is up anymore with my writing. This of course is the kind of thing an agent can direct!

Jumping on the other people querying for you, I don't know so much about that, but I think other people can see your MS for what it is a lot clearer than you can sometimes, especially when you've edited it for the gazillionth time. Sometimes I feel my knowledge of the YA market really blurs my vision when it comes to my own work.

CoffeeBeans said:

It's the fear of rejection and the nerves about hitting 'send' that just kills me. I think I'd be braver if it was someone else's work that I could objectively believe is good stuff.

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I'll send your queries out for you. Pleeeese, let me do it!

Yikes, when I told my 17-year-old nephew my latest ms featured a 16-year-old boy as the MC he wanted to read it. I bribed him with his name in the acknowledgements' page (if it ever gets published) if he gave me feedback, lol. He's up for the challenge - he wants to see if I can pull off writing as a 16-year-old boy. The first few pages have passed muster, at any rate, and he related to something that happened, so phew! (Thank goodness there aren't copious amounts of sex/swearing/violence in the ms otherwise I'd never be able to look him in the eye again, lol).

Do any of you get teen relatives to give feedback on your books?

Netz said:

Do any of you get teen relatives to give feedback on your books?

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I wish I had some! With one of my books I recruited four teenage girls via my friends as readers (with a cash payment for their time). Their feedback varied in how useful it was... by and large I'd say it wasn't worth doing, but had I know some of them face to face and been able to chat to them about it rather than questions via email it might have been better. Mostly, the girls just told me what they liked and sometimes what they didn't like, but didn't comment on things like being able to relate etc.

Netz said:

Do any of you get teen relatives to give feedback on your books?

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My then-16yo daughter was my first reader on my 16yo-girl-coming-of-age book. (Coincidence, much? Didn't think so.) She didn't give a lot of explicit feedback, but she did ask if I was planning a sequel... and became very protective of the girls when I was planning out how much trauma to put them through.

I have quite a few teen readers in my life. They aren't beta readers or anything, but I do consult them on story development. Apparently, the 80s is really cool. Maybe I should rethink taking that out of one of my WIPs.

Bookgirl, you've had a load on your plate for some time. I hope it lets up soon.

I haven't submitted anything in forever, but have many works in progress. Just making them perfect before submitting, I guess.

I am doing a talk at my local book festival next month. I was freaking out, but now I have it down, and know I can do this. Looking forward to being on the other side of that.