whats up with my writing

If you know me, or have read a previous post or something, you would know that I am trying to get my book published. I've queried six agents so far...Two by mail (those I sent out in January) and four by email (those I sent out like last week).

Initially I was just going to send my queries by mail because I had read somewhere that some agents won't respond to email queries if they don't like it. However, those three email ones that rejected me thus far did respond. One of the agents was really nice about it and encouraging, which made me feel kind of nice and loved even though she was rejecting me.

One thing I did that may or may not be a good thing is change my title. I had such issues picking out a title. It was just so hard finding something that was perfect. But I really wanted to send everything out, so in the end I just chose one even though I was meh about it, and just went with it. That is the title I used when I sent out my first two queries...but suddenly for some reason last week or maybe the week before that I had this urge to change my title. It wasn't that I had something else in mind, it was just that I looked at my title and though: "Is that anything you would pick up off the shelf" and when my answer was a NO I knew I had to change it. I mean I had always known it had sucked, but then I guess it just really hit me that if I didn't like it, an agent wouldn't either, so they wouldn't want to take me on. So I changed it to something much more typically YA and not a dumb attempt to be mysterious like with title number one. I mean, the title technically FIT, but it was just dumb.

The only reason it might have been a bad thing for me to change my title is because I still haven't gotten a response from one of the first two agents, and if she got my submission at all, it has the crappy title. I wish I could send like a follow up saying HEY LOOK I CHANGED MY TITLE IGNORE THE OTHER ONE. But that would look pretty bad on my part.

I'm also trying to build my resume in other ways, because I also figured that it would look better if I don't look like a COMPLETE high-school-kid-who-has-no-idea-what-she's-doing. Ah well. I'll just be determined and maybe hopefully in the near future some agent will look at my query or my submission or my whatever and be like I MUST HAVE THAT NOW. One can only hope.

how to conquer the evil villian WRITERS BLOCK

I never thought writing a query letter would be this annoying. Though it's not the actual letter itself that's giving me problems. It's the last paragraph. The one where I'm supposed to be like HEY MY NAME IS CAROLINE I'M COOL CHOOSE MY BOOK. Not that easy when I'm a TEENAGER writing and have NO qualifications whatsoever! Urgh. But on a bright note, I think I'm sending out my first submission or whatever to an agent today. I would send out more, but the rest of them require a query letter. Which I'm not done with.

Anyway today's topic of discussion is HOW TO CONQUER MY MOST EVIL NEMESIS MISTER WRITERS BLOCK!!!!!!!! Since of course he's not only MY nemesis, but basically every single human being who has ever tried to write something ever's evil nemesis as well. Ahem anyway.

Here are a few tips of mine that I'd like to share when someone who is writing a novel or a story or something has a run in with the evil demon.

1. Write something else. It doesn't matter what it is. Another story, an entry in your diary, poetry, WHATEVER. The more you write, the better you'll get at it. And writing other things can help teach you about your writing, which can help you with your story or book. As long as you're writing something.

2. Maybe the reason you're having writer's block is because you don't know what's going to happen next from the particular scene you're at. I mean, you know what's happening EVENTUALLY, but you don't know how to get out of THIS SCENE. Happens to me all the time. And you know what I do when that happens? I skip ahead. Yeah I know, some people hate skipping ahead. They think they have to write every single thing in order. But sometimes it helps. It'll soothe your nerves, because at least you're writing your book. And honestly, you can fill in the blanks later. My story had sooooo many blanks that I would just go back and fill in. And believe me, it's so much easier to fill in blanks than to stare at the wide expanse of emptiness and wish the damn thing would write itself.

3. Breathe fresh air! Don't watch tv for 4 hours or go on facebook for the whole night. Go outside! Take a walk! Clear your head! I know it sounds stupid, but clearing your head is really, really helpful, for just about any problem you might be having. If it's winter and it's cold so you don't want to take a walk, which I can understand since I live in New York, a very confused city whose weather got mixed up with Canada's this year, then meditate or something. And if you're not a meditating type of person or you don't feel like braving the cold, then do something else that will help you clear your head. Take a bubble bath! Just do something else!

4. Read! Because according to Captain Obvious, reading helps you with writing. And let's be honest. Almost all writers are inspired in some way at some point in time by something they have READ.

I'm sure there are other ways to combat writer's block. If you can think of anything else you should COMMENT. Of course I doubt anyone WILL comment, but I might as well suggest it, because we all must band together so we can defeat the evil demon of writer's block!!!!!!!! JOIN THE CAUSE!

how to publish your book

This is a post that I like to call HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK.

Unfortunately, no one should take any advice from me because I have no yet published my book. But I am trying. Oh so hard.

Well I don't know if you could say I'm trying just yet. Because I haven't submitted anything. But I can only imagine the torture and pain this will cause me as I get REJECTION AFTER REJECTION.

But here's how it's supposed to go.

Step 1: Sign up for Writer's Market. That is the only way to get a literary agent. And if you wanna get published, you gotta get a literary agent.

Step 2: Search Writer's Market for Agents. Make sure you read their stuff very carefully, and make sure you're doing the right thing. You don't wanna submit your epic romance to an agent who only reads nonfiction cook books. Just saying.

Step 3: Write Your Query. That's what I'm doing now. It's kind of fun. But also very nervewracking because this is what you will send to agents!

Step 4: Send Query To Agents. Make sure you follow their directions.

Step 5: Wait. They have a lot of stuff to read, so it'll take a month at the very least. And that's if you're lucky.

Step 6: Get Rejected. Either that or they just won't respond at all. Sometimes you'll just have to assume that you were rejected. I know, life's tough.

Step 7: Do It All Over Again. And again. And again. Until you get someone who says HEY GIMME YOUR BOOK I WANT TO SEE IF I CAN GET IT PUBLISHED. And then they will help you.

Step 8: Wait. See step 5 for further instruction.

Step 9: Get Fired By Agent Because No One Wants Your Book. It happens, and well the agent doesn't want to put effort into something that isn't going to make them money.

Step 10: Start Again From Step One. Isn't it terrible? That you have to start all the way from the beginning if your agent drops you?

Step 11: Get An Agent That Finds Someone To Publish Your Book. I'm just going to assume you succeeded the second time around. Because otherwise this would be a neverending loop of REJECTION.

Step 12: ...I don't know I haven't gotten this far. Actually, I'm still on Step 3. But I'll keep you posted on what happens.

If you think I'm being negative, I am, but unfortunately, this is just the way it is. Even if you're the next JK Rowling it might be difficult for you. I'm pretty sure she got rejected many many times. Good luck. Wish me luck too. I'll need it.