Finding your people, and the ANWA writer's conference.

Yep, I am alive.

I know, I know. It's been over two months since I have posted. Life has been nuts with Christmas break and then starting back up with a new semester at ASU. 

Though life is crazy it has also been really great. 

During my time between semesters my creative juices were flowing at max speed and I put them to good use. I worked on several projects around the house, plus I did some rewrites on my current YA novel. (I will post about the house stuff another time, I am still recovering from it, and it's definitely going to warrant its own post). 

This past weekend I attended the American Night Writer's Association's annual conference. This was my third time, and as always, it was fabulous. The people who put this thing together are seriously awesome. 

Last year I came away a little discouraged. Not that it was the conference's fault. Everything about last year's conference was amazing. It was just me and where I was with my writing. A lot of the talk was about how crapy the industry can be. I came home feeling as if I would never break through. That I was waisting my limited time and energy.

This year was a bit different. I honestly have no idea why (the industry is still pretty difficult)… maybe its just because I am different. Though I do think Brandon Mull had a hand in all of the positive energy. 

For those of you who do not know who Brandon Mull is, you must not have middle grade kids. He is the author of the Fablehaven series, The Beyonders series and the Candy Shop Wars… among others. 

He is kind of the stuff in my house. 

Anyway. Listening to him talk, with his endless enthusiasm for his craft, was inspiring. He is kind of this twelve-year-old boy in a forty-year-old body. (I mean this as a total compliment.) 

Yes, I am in a shark costume. Don't mock. 

As Brandon was talking about his childhood filled with daydreaming I found myself relating more than I had thought possible. I too grew up living mostly in my head. I had all of these ideas, these imaginary places that were a lot more enjoyable than what was really going on around me.  I am sure it must seem strange for someone else looking in. But for me, being a young girl who didn't have the easiest of childhoods, my imagination was my sanity. AND, here is this guy who is tremendously successful, who has blessed so many others because he has embraced what many may think are eccentricities. 

At that moment I looked about the room at all of these ladies, (and a few men) and thought to myself…. these are my people. 

And how grateful I am for these people.

I do have other people in my life. People that I love and who love me unconditionally. But they don't relate to this part of me, nor do I expect them to.

Let's be honest, authors are a little bit strange. You can't be normal when your brain is in a fantasy world half of the time. 

But that's okay. If we were not a bit kookie how would we be able to touch so many with our own creation? We couldn't.

Here are some of my people dressed up as antagonist. 

I think we all need our people, whoever those people may be. 

So, it was nice to embrace the crazy for a weekend. I learned a lot, and came home with several ideas to improve my work in progress. I even earned an award for the novel I have been editing for the last few years. 

First place for the beginning of the book contest for Young Adult Fiction.

I have NEVER won anything in my life. Yes I do frequently win random drawings, but never have I won something in which I had to earn it.  Yes, I am pretty lame. So you can see why I am so thrilled to have won in something that I have literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into. 

I am continuing to work on my craft. Revising, revising and revising so that someday it will be me who is the keynote speaker at a conference. 

Hey, why not? Surrounded by my people, I can do just about anything. 

The End Of An Era

Last weekend I attended a writing conference sponsored by ANWA. It was a fabulous weekend filled with wonderful speakers and even more amazing writers. I love the lessons learned, but even more, the sisterhood that is felt when you are in a room with women who love what you love.

Had a blast with this crazy group at lunch!

A lot of the conversations at the conference seemed to be centered around how the “industry” is changing. No longer do the publishing houses rule, and no longer do you need to go through typical avenues in order to be a successful author. This is all in thanks to the E-book. Is this a good thing, yes, yet, there seems to be some definite trade offs here.

            Before we know it our bookshelves will be empty and our kindles will be filled. I admit I very rarely read actual books anymore. But, just recently I stopped to realize what we are losing. For over 600 years we have been blessed with printed books. Soon that time will be gone, gone! I hope we can all realize the significance of this. It is HUGE! I am all for technology, but man, this makes me sad.

            Another thing that worries me is this idea that the author is the brand and the book is the product and that for some reason the brand is more important. I know I am old school but this idea breaks my heart. If the craft is not as important as your ability to sell yourself, are we losing something here? What happened to writing a great book, a book that changes lives? Books have changed my life plenty of times. I remember being 11 and reading “A Summer to Die” by Lois Lowry. This was the year after my brother had died of cancer. That book changed my life! That book allowed me to feel what I had kept bottled up for over a year.

            Now, I know you have to built your platform and sell, sell, sell, I just feel that your writing should still hold supreme.

            Well, this is all coming from a struggling author, so, what do I know, right? It is just something that has been clinging to my mind for a while and I thought I would share, and hopefully get your take.

           

            

Critique Groups and Mountain Climbing

Yesterday, my family decided to go on a little hike. Well, that was what I thought we were doing. I should have known better. I forget my husband is half mountain goat. So anyway, the plan was to hike to the Wind Caves at Usery Pass near Phoenix. About half way I looked up to see my kids far up the trail, RUNNING to their destination. I took stock of my own self, and thought…no way can this body that has no clue what excursive is, be able to climb this mountain.  But, being the stubborn girl that I am, I kept going. I was passed several times by cute girls in their spandex shorts with their six-packs showing. Yet, I continued. Even though we all traveled at different paces, there was a sense of comradely on that tail. Lots of smiles were shared, and many stepped aside to allow me and others to pass. 

Finally, my family made it, and Boy that View! I looked out and saw my little valley from a perspective I had never seen before.

This got me thinking about critique groups. Years ago I went to my first writing conference held by SCBWI. There, I pitched my first complete work to an agent. She was very nice, and asked to see my manuscript. During our conversation she recommended that I join a critique group. Yikes! It can be a bit intimidating to share your work with people who take writing seriously. You may feel that others are in better “shape” than you, after all, they have been exercising for years in some cases, and you are new to the gym. And that moment when you share your “baby” for the first time, it’s not easy. So why should you do it?

First, we need the exercise. If we are going to get into shape, we need to do the work. And don’t kid yourself. Good writing is work, hard work.

Also, when reading other’s work it is possible to see where your own can use improvement. You get a glimpse of what works and what doesn’t.

Finally, just like getting to the top of that mountain, its good to gain another perspective. It’s easy to be so engrossed in how you see your story that you miss where the plot has holes or your characters are a bit one-dimensional, or your wording could be cleaned up a bit. It's one thing when friends and family read your work and say they like it, that affirmation is important (we all need it from time to time) but there is no substitute for an unbiased opinion. 

You get all of this from a critique group. These groups make the revision process so much more productive, so why not give it a chance? Your writing can’t afford not to.

I am in a group with ladies who are all members of the ANWA organization. They are a huge help to my writing process.  Because we are sharing something so personal there is a bond created that is very unique. Now, after several years of monthly meetings I cannot imagine sending anything out to an agent or editor without first bringing bits and pieces of it to my group to review.

            
So, if you have any desire to take your writing to the next level, a critique group is a great place to start. You will be glad you made the effort. Who knows, before you know it you could be the one flying up the trail to enjoy the excellent view.