Letting Go

My manuscripts are a lot like my kids, they're my babies. I find it hard to admit that my baby girl is in high school this year. It is even more frightening to realize that in less than four years she will be a high school graduate and off at college. I still think of her as my little bubbling baby girl toddling around the house. And while my daughter can, and will, protest that she is not a baby, my manuscripts cannot argue with me. They simply sit back as if waiting for me to admit they are ready to see the world.

This past Sunday was critique group Sunday. My favorite Sunday of the month. I love getting together with the ladies and discussing all things books, writing, and publishing. One of our main topics was what our immediate goals are. I walked into the meeting completely prepared to put very little on the table for my small goal. I have been suffering from neck pains and headaches for a while now, and therefore was afraid to really put much on my list of goals for this year.

But that all changed after talking to the wonderful ladies in my group. I have a completed, polished manuscript ready to go out into the world. But, for one reason or another I have held back from sending out queries on this particular manuscript. I had convinced myself that it would be a different project I would query this year, and only that one. Yet, after discussing projects and listening to everyone's goals I realized I have to let go. I have to try. Even if agents have already seen a lot of this particular type of story I should still attempt to get out there.

I continually convince myself it's not ready. Even though I have been doing a final read through this week and I am finding little to fix. Truth is, I need to get over this fear of mine and let it go. I need to try, see where it takes me. You never know if this is the one to land you an agent, or the one to give you more learning experience. It's worth a shot. Right?


Is it hard for you to let go of your manuscripts? Please tell me I'm not the only one. lol

ONLINE VERSUS REAL CRITIQUE GROUPS

I have a group I meet with monthly and beta readers that I met online. Both are beneficial for different reasons:

The monthly group I attend meets at a Barnes and Noble near my house. We are a mixed group of women, all in different life stages, and all sharing our love of writing. The best part of the group is sitting and chatting in real time, enjoying each other’s company, and making lasting friendships with women who share a common interest.

The online readers are cyber friends who also share a love of reading and writing. We email each other and share links to blogs, articles, and reviews. We email back and forth to answer each other’s questions, complain, vent, and share happy news.

I wouldn’t trade either group for the world. Each woman brings a different perspective and view of the world that only helps to strengthen my writing.

How about you? Do you have people in your life, real or in cyberspace, who are invaluable to your writing?

Kimmy :)

 

TRIANGLES, Kimberly Ann Miller, Spencer Hill Press, June 2013

Where to Find Critique Partners

This past weekend Toni, Kimberly, Archana, and I met with the other four members of our critique group and had an amazing meeting. We talked about our lives and our writing lives. We talked about nothing and everything. It was great seeing their smiling faces and I was amazed by just how lucky I am to be a part of such a wonderful group of women. Finding them was the best single thing that happened to my writing. 

I can't imagine where I would be today without their guidance and support. We have a common goal: to be published. And we use that common goal to help one another grow and become better writers every time we meet.

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I thought I would share with you today, places to find critique partners. I hope you are as lucky as I am and find amazing CPs.

QueryTracker.net - Great place to find critique partners or form a group. Even if you don't use this site to find CPs, you can use it to keep track of agents you want to query. 
LadiesWhoCritique.com - Another great place to find critique partners. Go there, create a profile, and start making connections.
SCBWI - This is how I met my amazingly wonderful critique group! Seriously a face to face critique group is the best thing ever.
Absolute Write - They have a section where you can connect with other writers. I haven't tried this site, but I have heard other writers who have had success there.
KidLit.com - They have a Critique Connection on their blog site. The connections are made through the comments on that particular post.
Blogs - A blog is a great way to make connections. I've seen several writers publish posts asking if anyone is interested in becoming a CP.
Twitter - This is a great place to form bonds with other writers and ultimately create great critique circles.

You may have to try out a few critique partners before you find the ones that are right for you. In my case I've been truly lucky to find such wonderful women to critique my writing.

Where did you find your critique partners?

HOW DO YOU REVISE?

This topic is close to my heart because I am currently revising for my wonderful editors at Spencer Hill Press. For me, revision comes easy. I love revising and improving my manuscript. The way I do it is simple—I read through the suggestions, whether they come from my betas, critique partners, agents, or editors. Then I take the simplest suggestion first and implement it, then the next easiest, then the next easiest, ending with the hardest change to make.

For example, I received a revise and resubmit request from a wonderful agent last fall. It was three pages long, and it did wonders for my manuscript. Though she ultimately passed, she did like the changes I made. I did, too. How did I tackle those three pages? Like I said above, I made the easiest changes first. One suggestion was to remove a scene that was hokey, so I simply deleted it. Another easy suggestion was to delete a few scenes that had been repetitive, so I went through and deleted half of those scenes. Easy!

The harder suggestions took more thought and planning. For example, this agent suggested developing the relationship between two characters further, so I looked for areas in the manuscript in which I could show some of their history and current interactions and added more depth and detail. The overall result? A better manuscript that landed me my book deal with Spencer Hill!

Don’t fear revision. Embrace the changes that make your manuscript better. If you disagree with them or they don’t match the tone or theme of your story, then the choice is yours. But if they make sense to you, or they even excite you, or more than one person makes the same suggestion, consider moving forward with them to make your story shine. Our beta readers, critique partners, agents, and editors are here to make our books better. Let them guide your book to publication!

Kimmy :) 

TRIANGLES, Kimberly Ann Miller, Spencer Hill Press, June 2013

What I learned at the NJSCBWI Annual Conference

This weekend the New Jersey chapter of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators had its annual conference. It was a three day affair filled with workshops, critiques, inspirational keynote speakers and book fairs that took me from high highs (Love your character! She is so well developed.) to low lows (You overwrite! What does your character really want?) and gave me the super power to say no (more) to coffee.  Along the way, I learned a few things…

Say hello. Conferences, especially, those as big as the NJSCBWI one, can be intimidating. Everyone seems to be chatting with everyone else and it’s easy to become a wallflower or a chair warmer. Make friends. Attendees at the conference are writers following their dreams. Just like you. Simply say hello and you may meet your next critique partner or beta reader.

Critiques are opinions. Take them with a grain of salt. I know you’ve heard this many times but it bears repeating. You need to pick and choose what you are going to change about your manuscript. The temptation to accept every suggestion that a senior editor recommends can be too much. An unusually tough critique can bring you down. In the end, it comes down to how well you are practicing your craft. Are you committed to becoming a better writer? Do you have faith in yourself and your story? Whatever I write in my feedback comments as a critique or whatever an agent writes can only be validated by you.

Your work is not perfect. That’s OK! Is your ‘conceit’ original? Does your story make sense? Are your characters well developed? Do you have a voice? If yes, then throw yourself into the process of pitching, submitting, and of course, revising.

Finally, don’t forget to submit your work! Polish up your query and those first fifteen pages that the editor discussed with you, paste them in the body of your email and hit the send button as soon as you can!

Good luck at your conferences!

THE VALUE OF CRITIQUE PARTNERS

I had the good fortune of having an honest person critique my very first book – my sister. Though family members tend to praise and fear hurting our feelings, she was brutally honest to the point of tearing the book to shreds. Why would I say, then, that I was fortunate to have her? The answer is simple: she taught me how to accept criticism and use it to my advantage.

No writer should be without a critique partner or two and a few good beta readers. They can be found all over the web. I found my critique group through the SCBWI website and my beta readers through the QueryTracker.net forums. Without the help of these wonderful men and women, I would be lost.

Each person brings a different perspective to your story and a different method of critiquing. Whether they go line by line suggesting changes or just comment on the things they see are not working, every piece of advice will bring your story one step closer to perfection. And isn’t that what we all strive to achieve?

Do yourself and your book a favor. If you don’t share your work with anyone for whatever reason, find the courage to get a trusted reader or two who will give you honest feedback. You won’t regret it. 

Kimmy :)

TRIANGLES, Kimberly Ann Miller, Spencer Hill Press, June 2013