My very first writers conference! SCBWI - LA 2011

This past weekend I went to my very first writers conference ever - and boy did I pick the right one to go to! I was at the 40th anniversary SCBWI annual conference in Los Angeles. In the opening presentation when the faculty of the conference was introduced, someone said if an earthquake hit LA the children's publishing industry would be decimated, they weren't kidding. The faculty read like a who's who of Children's publishing from authors to editors to agents to illustrators. For me, it was definitely an event of a lifetime.

I'd say that the highlight of the conference for most attendees was probably the presentation with Judy Blume. Yes, Judy Freaking Blume! You couldn't talk to a conference goer without them blubbering about a pivotal moment in their childhood that was somehow related to Judy Blume saving their life. It was emotional for most people and I have to admit to being blown away by her candid honesty. But the best thing Judy said that I loved her for was when an audience member asked her what she wanted her legacy to be. To which Judy responded "I don't think about my legacy. That's dangerous. But I want a tombstone that says, Are you there God? It's me, Judy."

Yes it was incredible to be in the same room as Judy Blume both for the presentation and at breakfast the next morning where I got to gawk at her from ten feet away. But my highlights were different. From the conference events, the highlight for me was Libba Bray's fantastic keynote presentation. I loved her new novel Beauty Queens and it was amazing to hear her speak - to hear how clearly her authorial voice is also her true voice. She blew me away! I admit to having the hugest fangirl crush on her. And not only is she beautiful, smart, and hysterically funny - she is also incredibly nice and warm. How do I know this? Because I had dinner with her. Yes - dinner with the Printz award winning author Libbay Bray! How did it happen? Well, since I'm agented by the incredible Joe Monti, I'm part of the Barry Goldblatt Agency family and me and the beautiful Jenn Reese (another wonderful author repped by Joe and a fabulous writer friend) were invited to dinner with Barry and Libba for dinner. Not only is Barry wicked smart, funny and an all around amazing person - he's married to Libba Bray!!! I had a truly great time with all of them and it is a memory that I will never forget. I was even gauche enough to bring my copy of Going Bovine to dinner in the hopes that Libba wouldn't mind signing it. Did I mention she is the nicest person?

One of the best things Libba said during her presentation was when she asked everyone to look around the incredibly packed, standing room only, audience. She asked what do you see? So many white faces and not enough people of color. This needs to change.

She's right. Publishing is still a predominantly white industry. It would be great to see more writers of different ethnicity. And it would be great to see more characters of color represented in our books. They don't have to be by minority authors only. I would love to see all authors challenge themselves by writing outside their comfort zone and embrace our multi-cultural world. All I ask is that they do it with integrity and represent us honestly and not as some stock stereotypical character. It's not hard to do if you do your research and treat your characters with respect. Like Libba does.

Anyway, going back to my hero worship, I mean the conference. I was able to take some pictures with Libba at breakfast the next day.

And then Libba said - let's take one as zombies.

I think my zombie is definitely scarier.

So how do I top meeting Libba Bray? Well, I can't top it, but I can equal it. I had the incredibly great pleasure of hanging out with my Ninja triad buddies Mike Jung and Martha Flynn. And I got to be roomies with the truly wonderful Cindy Pon.

Here's a pic with Mike and Cindy. Martha had the audacity of being late to this photo op. But I shall get her next time! To be honest, the most compelling reason for me going to the conference was to see my wonderful writing friends like Mike, Martha and Cindy. I would travel the world to hang out with all of them again.

And my Enchanted Inkpot buddies! Lisa, Gretchen, Amaris and Robin! Yes that is THE Robin LaFevers - author of the Theodosia series that me and Oldest are so in love with! And she is as wonderful in person as she comes across in all her interviews! And let me tell you, my sweet buddy Amaris gave me one of the best presents ever! You guys may or may not remember my obsession with the Last Avatar animated series by Nickelodeon. Well Amaris works on the sequel The Legend of Korra and she brought me a poster that was signed and illustrated by the creators and animators of the Last Avatar!!! They even drew little cartoon characters next to their signatures! I freaked out when she gave it to me! Not only did she blow me away with one of the most incredible and thoughtful presents I've ever gotten, it's a present that means so much to my girls also. When I brought it home my girls ooohed and ahhed for a long time, refusing to let me put it safely away so I can get it framed.

There were many more wonderful moments during the conference but this post is already way too long and I don't want to bore all of you anymore. All I can say is that if you haven't gone to an SCBWI annual conference yet, don't miss it. It will be an experience that you'll never forget.

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - S.J. Kincaid

Today is the final post of the series and I saved my favorite for last. I knew my buddy Shelley, who goes by S.J. Kincaid, would have excellent advice to give, but when she sent me her post, it struck me immediately as the perfect post to end the series with. That's because Shelley is the epitome of perseverance and truly a writer to admire. Her debut novel is called INSIGNIA. It's the story of a teenage video gamer who becomes a government weapon in a futuristic world at war comes out in summer of 2012 from Katherine Tegen Books. So please welcome Shelley to the blog!

       

            Thanks for inviting me to post, Ello! When it comes to the advice I’d give to my younger self,  I think I need to start with the story of The Best Book I’ll Ever Write. The characters and ideas for The Best Book I’ll Ever Write started appearing in my head right after college graduation. I’d think about them at work, I’d think about them on the train, I’d think about them at home, I’d even dream about them.

After devoting two years of thought to The Best Book I’ll Ever Write, I finally ended up writing it, and then I revised, revised.... I knew the characters in and out, I’d devised so many clever twists for this elaborate, four-book plot, and honestly, I’d just put so much of myself into this book even before putting the first words to paper, I couldn’t imagine such an expenditure of mental energy would come to nothing.

            But The Best Book I’ll Ever Write wasn’t the first one I sent out to agents. I wasn’t confident enough yet to pursue it—I wanted to try the agent thing with another story first. A good friend and I wrote another manuscript, and rather shockingly, it ended up represented by the first agent we contacted. Easy come, easy go. That manuscript was shopped, received deafening silence from editors that turned into deafening silence from that agent, so we split. I was okay with it, because I finally felt ready to pursue my own book. It was time to get an agent for The Best Book I’ll Ever Write.

            Searching for an agent for The Best Book I’ll Ever Write was much more difficult. There was no quick offer of representation like there’d been for number one, and there were a lot of rejections. I joined a critique group and refined The Best Book I’ll Ever Write. I also refined my query again and again, adjusting according to agent response. I sent out a lot of queries, and shook off a lot of rejections— and always kept pursuing The Best Book I’ll Ever Write, because I knew in my heart that this was The One. I’d simply invested too much into it to consider the other possibility. In fact, this is when I began considering it The Best Book I’ll Ever Write, as I’ve been referring to it in this write-up. I was sure that I could never write something better than this story.

And then the glorious day came. I woke up to this e-mail from an agent to whom I’d sent the full manuscript the day before: "Ah!  I spent all night reading this and I LOVE it.  I want to represent this book.  Please tell me if you are free tomorrow to discuss and when and with what number I can reach you. It is amazing and so much fun to read!" It was stunning and unexpected, and she was from one of the houses that I hadn’t dreamed of hearing back from. Not only did that agent end up offering, but two other incredible agents offered. It seemed like my journey with this book was finally coming to fruition. I remember walking down a Chicago street, with this utter sense that everything was right with the world and my destiny was falling into place (yes, I know exactly how sentimental and cheesy that sounds....)

            To make a long story short, The Best Book I’ll Ever Write was shopped, and the rejections came in again—only much more promptly this time, given the agency I had. It reached Acquisitions at one house, and was promptly shot down.  We sent another round. Another. Finally, the day was done. I had to face the fact that The Best Book I’ll Ever Write was not going to get picked up by these editors.

            Still, I couldn’t let go of the story. I loved it too much. I devised another plan: to write another manuscript, get that one published—and then try to use my published author-ness to get The Best Book I’ll Ever Write a contract of its own. I banged out two more manuscripts. I didn’t particularly love either of these stories, and as it turns out, neither did my agent. We parted ways.

So I sought new agents, still with that same plan: get a contract or an editor’s interest with another story, and then show them The Best Book I’ll Ever Write. In the meantime, I sent The Best Book I’ll Ever Write to a few small publishing houses open to submissions. I never heard a word. In desperation, I toyed with the thought of putting The Best Book I’ll Ever Write on the internet, but I wasn’t confident I could get anyone to read it. That’s what I wanted—people to simply read it, even if I never got a dime. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t have any money to spare at this point, because I can’t imagine how much I might’ve sunk into writer’s conferences etc. in hopes of advancing this story.

             Finally, after writing three manuscripts in a row that I cared nothing about, I admitted it to myself: I wasn’t getting a contract with these books I didn’t love, and The Best Book I’ll Ever Write wasn’t going to get one this way, either. So, new approach: somewhere down the road, I’d come back to The Best Book I’ll Ever Write and figure out how to revise it with a fresh perspective—and maybe then I could send it before a fresh new set of gatekeepers and editors who might not realize it had been shopped before.

            So, in short, I’d put a lot of effort into a story that wasn’t going to get published in the near future. None of this effort was wasted, though— not in the long run. I became a better writer with those three passionless manuscripts, even if they were only intended to bring about the publication of The Best Book I’ll Ever Write. I read YA while I was writing them. I checked out 10-15 books each library visit and tore through them, and I learned the genre in a way I hadn’t known it before. Months, years, and trends all zipped past. There were zombies, werewolves, faeries, fallen angels, mermaids, and the first rumblings of dystopian… All the while, I heard feedback time and again from various agents regarding the weaknesses of my story, the flaws, their thoughts about my pacing, my humor, etc. I still couldn’t bring myself to even look at The Best Book I’ll Ever Write –it seemed better not to think about it – but I could rip apart those other manuscripts with no remorse. I learned how to revise when I needed to, and more importantly, I learned when not to revise when my instincts rebelled against the advice of others—even if they were publishing professionals.

At some point during all this, I became a confident writer. It may sound odd, given that this time period was filled only with rejection, but my writing became stronger, and I knew it. I never struggled with words or wrangled with laying out mental images to paper anymore—they just came to me easily.

Then I started book six. This time, I wrote with no intention of using the book to get The Best Book I’ll Ever Write published. Amazingly, miraculously, I started to love a new story again. It wasn’t anywhere near what I’d felt for The Best Book I’ll Ever Write; there is no recapturing that crushing, obsessive love. Book six, however, was the first manuscript that demanded full use of my imagination again, the first one that recaptured that spark I’d been missing. When it came time to query agents with book six, I wasn’t even thinking back to The Best Book I’ll Ever Write. I just believed in number six.

Book Six wasn’t published. It did serve several important functions, though: I began to love a story again, I connected with my amazing agent, David Dunton, and I made contact with Molly O’Neill of Katherine Tegen Books, who wanted to see the next story I wrote.

Finally, I had the interest of an editor.

And I didn’t even consider sending her The Best Book I’ll Ever Write.

A year later, I’d written number seven— which is a whole tale of its own I won’t get into here. Needless to say, David sent it to Molly, and the result is here:

“S.J. Kincaid's INSIGNIA, in which a teenage video gamer becomes a government weapon in a futuristic world at war, to Molly O'Neill at Katherine Tegen Books, in in pre-empt, in a significant deal, in a three-book deal, by David Dunton at Harvey Klinger (World English).”

The night after I got my book deal, I could not sleep a wink. I opened up Microsoft Word and took a long look at The Best Book I’ll Ever Write. I really gave it a read-through. And you know what? It was fatally flawed. It had been all along. It had some cleverness, some humor, some creative twists—but much of it wasn’t so clever or creative as I’d once thought. One twist was so contrived I was astounded I hadn’t realized it earlier. As for that main character I’d known so well? She really didn’t come across as much of a character on paper. She seemed more like a walking void. I didn’t recognize her as the girl from my head.

I’d become a much better writer than this. The Best Book I’ll Ever Write had never been the best book I’d ever write. Not even close. When I shut down my computer that night, I finally let go of the idea of that book, and even that last idea of revising it somewhere down the road. I didn’t want to see it in print, and I was totally okay with that. It served its purpose.

So, to bring all of this back to the point, “What advice would I give to my younger self?”

None.

And it’s not just because I think speaking to my younger self would cause a temporal paradox that would lead to my younger self not becoming me, and thus not speaking to her younger self…

It’s because my complete obsession with a book that was never going to get published led to me gaining the skills I needed to write a book that someday would get published. If I’d known back then that The Best Book I’ll Ever Write wasn’t so great, if I’d opened my eyes and really seen it for what it was, then all the motivation that caused me to write the subsequent manuscripts would’ve been gone. I had to have that delusion. If I hadn’t believed in something, it would’ve been far too difficult going through the endless rejections manuscript after manuscript, and waiting out those interminable silences after sending in a query, a partial, a full, a revision—and then those even worse waiting periods during submission. It would’ve been too difficult, working to improve as a writer, as a storyteller.

So, in short, I’m glad I was wrong all that time—because it led me to where I am now.

…

Okay, scratch that. I’d give my younger self one piece of advice: “NEVER buy that Lexmark printer! It will bring you nothing but tragedy and woe!”

There ya go. Thanks again, Ello! ;-)

 

S.J. Kincaid was born in Alabama, grew up in California, and attended high school in New Hampshire, but it was while living beside a haunted graveyard in Scotland, that she realized that she wanted to be a writer. Her debut, INSIGNIA, comes out in the summer of 2012. You can visit her online at http://sjkincaid.blogspot.com

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Jessica Spotswood

Today is the second to last guest post in this fabulous series. And I'm so very pleased to bring you Jessica Spotswood who's debut book, Born Wicked, is the first of a trilogy that I guarantee will blow you all away when it comes out in February, 2012. Yes, I'm one of the lucky few who've read it, and yes, it is mind blowingly good! I love love love this book and I'm so excited to see it come out because I have a feeling it's going to be a huge hit. And when it does, I just want you all to remember that I said it here first! And just look at her gorgeous cover! It's absolutely swoon worthy! So please welcome Jess and enjoy her lovely post on what she would tell her younger self.

Advice to my young writing self:

Everyone has a story.

The skinny hipster girl with the layered necklaces at the coffee shop—she could be reading work emails, or she could be writing a novel of her own, or maybe she’s emailing her boyfriend who’s studying abroad in Prague. You don’t know. But isn’t it fun to imagine? To take strangers on the street, passengers on the train, fellow audience members at plays, and concoct wild stories about them? It’s good practice.

Everyone has a story, and you don’t know what it is.

It’s easy, sometimes, to look at other people and envy them. They have things you want. They are things you want—perfectly cool and confident and hipster-chic. But you don’t know their secret insecurities and tragedies. You don’t know their stories. It’s true for strangers on the street—and for authors whose careers you might envy. Envy is totally natural and it inspires you to work harder. But it’s important to keep in mind that when things happen faster or better for someone else, you don’t know what else is going on in their lives, or what happened before. Someone with a major deal that sold in a week might have written five other novels before hooking an agent, might have a first novel that never sold, might have struggled to write the book over the course of two years while juggling a full-time job and kids and dark nights of the soul. You don’t know. Not everyone makes their story public. But if you assume it’s there, even if you don’t know about it—it gives you an awful lot more compassion.

Everyone has a story, and you don’t know what it is. This includes you.

Every step in this writing journey feels all-important, like it could be your only chance, and coupled with your inherent perfectionism, it is often crazy-making. You would argue with fierce Taurus bullheadedness that you know what you want. You have wanted to be a writer since fourth grade when you wrote that story about your grandparents’ cabin in Mrs. Eisenhart’s class. But did you? In college you got swept up in the camaraderie and collaboration and razzle-dazzle of theatre, and you went to grad school for dramaturgy, and it wasn’t until you were miserable and unable to find a theatre job that you rediscovered writing. Even then, you never expected to be where you are now. The book that got you an agent never sold—but then your second book sold in a week, in a way that you didn’t even have the temerity to dream about. You never expected this. This is more amazing and more terrifying and closer to your heart than anything you ever dreamed of.

Stories have a way of doing that.

Jess hearts books, tea, cardamom cookies, the color pink, theatre, twirly dresses, and the sound of bells chiming the hour. She's frighteningly enthusiastic. Her first book, BORN WICKED, Book 1 of The Cahill Witch Chronicles, is coming out Feb 7. 2012 from Putnam. You can find out more at her website here. 

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Marie Lu

Ok first of all, thanks to all who commented and publicized the book giveaway for Carrie Harris' book Bad Taste in Boys! And the winner is - Kelly! Congratulations Kelly!

So today's guest post is by a fabulous author buddy of mine, Marie Lu, who's amazing book Legend is coming out this November. Oh and not only is this a fantastic read, Legend already has a movie deal!! And yes, it will make a fabulous movie! I gotta tell you that I was really privileged to read the ARC of Legend and I really thought long and hard about having a contest for the ARC to continue to promote her book, but selfishness overrode my altruistic desire. I found myself unwilling and really unable to give up my ARC. However, I will have a big giveaway for her book in November when Legend officially comes out so you all will definitely have a chance to win her fabulous YA dystopian novel with a kickass heroine that I adore! In the meantime, here's Marie with some excellent advice:

Being Brave (or at least, less chicken):

To be honest, I've never felt entirely comfortable when giving out advice, largely because I still feel like I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. (It took me eleven tries before I even figured out how to open this guest post.) But even though I'm still learning every day how to grow as a writer, I've at least learned a few lessons along the way that my younger self could've benefited from knowing.

Of those lessons, here's what I think is the most important one: be brave. And by being brave, I mean you need to be brave enough to let go of a manuscript that isn't working. Some of us are so talented that
the very first novel we write will also be the one that sells, and even sells spectacularly. For me, though, I wrote four unpublished manuscripts before I wrote Legend.

It's easy for me to say this in hindsight, but I can still remember my 14-year old self, writing gamely on in the middle of the night, blissfully unaware of how long the journey to publication would be. When I finished that first novel in high school, I honestly thought it would be the one that would make it--even though every agent on the planet rejected my query letter. The problem? My premise was flawed. (To give you perspective, here's what it was about: a shy farm boy in a fantasy land gets a visit one day from a mysterious sorceress, who tells him he is the Chosen One. She then takes him on a quest along with a group of companions to help him find out who he is and how he can fulfill his prophecy to save his world. Um....sound familiar?)

A part of me always knew this premise was flawed even as I pitched it relentlessly, but I was too afraid to let it go. It took me another year to realize that this first novel was never going to go anywhere . . . and then it took me another four years to realize that my second novel wasn't going to be the one that makes it, either.

For me, this was always the scariest part of writing. How do you know when to let go, to put away something that you've worked so hard and so long on? It's not easy. At the moment, it will always feel like you'll never be able to write another one. Staring at a new, blank Word doc might be one of the most daunting things a writer will ever face, but sometimes it has to be done.

When your gut tells you the book is fundamentally flawed, let go of it. You will be able to write another book. And it will be better than the last.

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Carrie Harris

Today's guest post is with another one of my wonderful critique buddies, Carrie Harris, who's hysterically funny zombie novel is out in the world! Bad Taste in Boys is one of those books you don't want to read on a crowded train because you will be laughing so hard you will either cough up a lung or pee your pants. Either way, you want to avoid doing this in public.

Carrie also has one of the best author's websites out there and get a load of her eye-catching cover!

I'm so excited to bring you Carrie's guest post on the best writerly advice she'd give her younger self. And at the end of the post, I'll give you a chance to win a copy of her fabulous new book!

Carrie Harris:

If I had a time machine (and I want one really badly if you happen to know of one for sale), I’d definitely want to sit younger me down for a talk. And the thing I’d tell me is pretty plain and simple.

“Young Me,” I’d say, “JUST SAY NO.”

I think this advice is all-purpose. It can refer to dating the guy who got the cue ball stuck in his mouth and that time I cut my hair inadvisedly short. But it can also be something a little more serious too. Because way back in the pre-publication days, I’d hear about published authors turning down guest posts and promotional opportunities, and I’d wonder if they were certifiably insane. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD TURN DOWN FREE PUBLICITY? From people who are really excited to help promote their book? Not me. I vowed that I’d be the one who said yes to every marketing request I got, because every little bit helps.

And it does. It’s fun and effective and makes you feel cool even if you aren’t. But there may come a point when the interviews take up so much time that you’re not writing books, and you’re not trying to break into the interview business, Young Me. You’re trying to break into the book business. And saying no to those people doesn’t mean that you don’t appreciate what they’re doing. Offer them bookmarks. Ask if you can visit their website another month. Be honest—tell them that you’re overextended and you really want to write them a guest post/visit their two-person book group/attend their live action performance of your book/whatever, but you’ve got to set some limits.

And if they can’t be flexible, it does not make you the bad guy to sometimes say NO. NO is a great word. It’s easy to pronounce. It’s not like you’ve got to say “kartoffelsalat,” unless you happen to be in Germany and jonesing for some potato salad.

Give it a try. Just say NO. And when you’re done, I need that time machine back.

*****

Thanks Carrie for your fabulous advice! And now here's the chance to win a Bad Taste in Zombies book! Just link this post on facebook, twitter, google+, your blog and just let me know you did it here in the comments section! And if you don't have any of the above, just leave me a comment letting me know you really, really, really want this book, and I'll still include you because I know you'll go out and talk up this book to your friends verbally! I'm gonna trust you all because I know you want to win this hysterically funny book and I know you want to help spread the word about Carrie's fabulous debut! So start now! I'll pick a winner randomly from the comments section by next week! Contest is open internationally so good luck!

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Kiki Hamilton

This week I have the special pleasure of having my crit partner extraordinaire, Kiki Hamilton, on the blog today! I'm especially thrilled because Kiki's debut book, The Faerie Ring, will be published by Tor Teen this September (look at that beautiful cover)! Having had the excessively good fortune to read this book before it got published, I'm delighted to get to say.... HA HA! I read it first!! I mean, you guys are in for a huge treat! So here's Kiki with some words of wisdom...

Ello - thanks so much for inviting me over to your blog!

The best writerly advice that I have for my younger self or my older self or anybody, for that matter, is ‘don’t give up’. Let me repeat that: DON’T. GIVE. UP.

Write it down. Tape it to your computer, your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, your candy drawer (what? No candy drawer?...not too late to start one… it does help with the stress of a stuck plot / seeking an agent / trying to sell your book…. but I digress…) We all have those moments when we doubt ourselves. But one thing is for sure – if you give up – then there will never be a book with your name on it on your library or bookstore shelf. No one will ever read the brilliant story that only you can create. So - DON’T. GIVE. UP.

This business is a rollercoaster, plain and simple. There should be a big sign on the outskirts of the publishing world that warns new writers: ‘here there be dragons’ , ‘here there be agents who won’t respond for half your lifetime’, ‘here there be editors who say you’re not right for their list’, BUT – if you persevere – if you work at learning the craft of writing, if you read books in the genre you’re writing in, if you study books that you love, if you join critique groups and practice, practice, practice, you will learn to navigate the treacherous waters of the publishing world and arrive safety at your destination, whatever that may be.

Writing is sort-of an ever-moving target. When you first start out you just want to finish your story. If I could write a novel, that would be so cool! And then you do! And then the voice in your head says, If I could just get an agent that would be cool! And then you do! And THEN the voice in your head says ,If I could just sell my book…. and so on and so on. Prepare yourself for a lot of If only’s. But you also have to celebrate every step of the way. LOTS of people talk about writing a book. Few actually ever do it. Even fewer still write a book, then revise it and revise it and revise it again, until they’ve created their best work possible.

And on those days when you’re doubting yourself – because we all have them – go back to the reason you began to write in the first place: Because you have a story you love SO MUCH that you have to tell it, otherwise your characters won’t let you sleep at night.

Once your story is sparkly and shining and the best you can do – then send it out. Maybe you’ll get an agent or an editor right off, maybe you’ll get a few rejections or 100 rejections. Maybe you’ll have to revise or write another story (it was my second novel that sold) but NEVER. GIVE. UP.

I’ll be looking for the news of your sale. Good luck!

Kiki Hamilton believe in faeries. And magic. Though she has a B.A. in business administration from Washington State University and has run a business with her husband for many years, her first love is writing young-adult stories of fantasy and adventure. Kiki lives near Seattle, Washington, where it only rains part of the time. She is a member of the Class of 2k11, the Elevensies and The Enchanted Inkpot. Visit Kiki’s website at www.kikihamilton.com

Happy Fourth of July!

And the winner of the Near Witch ARC giveaway is....

Sierra Cullen

Congratulations Sierra! Please email me your address and I'll shoot it out to you this week!

To everyone else, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with friends and family and lots of food!

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Erin Bowman

The contest to win a copy of The Near Witch ARC is still going strong, but please post only in the comments of the the contest blog post below. It will stay open for one week and I'll announce the winner on or about July 4th.

 Today's guest post is by Erin Bowman who is a fellow HarperCollins debut author whose fabulous new book The Laicos Project will be released at the same time as mine, in Winter 2013. Do you want to hear how good it is? Here's her PM announcement:

Erin Bowman’s THE LAICOS PROJECT, about a 17-year-old who has grown up in a primitive town where boys are Heisted on their 18th birthday never to be seen again, and who is determined to find out the truth behind the disappearances, to Erica Sussman at Harper Children’s, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (NA). 

Yeah, how good does that sound? It sounds like "who do I have to kill to get an advanced copy" good! So I'm absolutely thrilled to turnover the blog to Erin today!

While I’ve been a storyteller my whole life, I have not been writing my whole life.

I wrote like a maniac when I was younger. It started with crayons and that old-school, pre-lined handwriting paper. In middle school, for three years in a row, I went to writing camp during the summer. Yes, writing camp. While other kids were roasting s’mores and swimming in lakes and telling ghost stories, I was inside, scribbling writing prompts into a spiral notebook.

I wrote with that level of undying fervor until high school, when something changed. From high school up until a few years ago, I didn’t write all that frequently. I churned out a short story here or there, but I didn’t dream big. I didn’t want to take on a story with subplots and layers and complexities because I was so busy. With sports and SATs and college applications. With college classes and resumes and job searching. With moving and commuting and a career and a wedding and a husband and moving again. I had a lot going on and I didn’t have the time to write.

But here’s the thing: We all have the time, and the same amount of it. Each and every author to have ever put a book into this world has written it page by page, piece by piece, day by day. Twenty-four hour increments, that’s all anyone has. No one has a magical 25^th hour. No one.

You make the time. You carve it out. You shave off the minutes and seconds and gather them up. You squeeze the writing in when you can. Some days will be more efficient than others, and that’s OK, so long as you’re always looking to make more time.

I wish I’d realized this when I was younger. It makes me wonder where I’d be in my writing career now had I carved out the time then.

Ironically, I “found” the time to write again after being laid off a job. It was a crappy way to learn my lesson, but it gave me a much-needed kick in the butt. I tackled the story that had been lurking in my mind and I didn’t let up. Not even after getting a new job. Not after moving and adopting a two-hour commute. Not ever. When I finished the first story, I started a new one. And then another. And another.

The clock had not been my enemy. I was my enemy. For giving myself excuses and taking the easy way out and blaming “time” for my inability to prioritize.

A day is a decent chunk of time: 24 hours, or 1,440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. No matter how you slice it, it’s the same. So if you love something, start carving and shaving and gathering. Round up that time and make it happen. The only person holding you back is yourself.

Even though Erin is now a pro at time-carving, she is still on the lookout for that elusive 25^th hour. If you stumble upon it, please let her know. When not writing, Erin enjoys hiking, camping and staring at the stars. She drinks a lot of coffee, buys far too many books and is not terribly skilled at writing about herself in the third person. Erin is represented by Sara Crowe of Harvey Klinger. Her debut YA novel, THE LAICOS PROJECT, will be published by HarperTeen (Winter 2013). Erin tweets @erin_bowman and maintains a blog at http://embowman.com

Near Witch ARC Giveaway!

On July 13th over at the Enchanted Inkpot, I will be posting an interview with YA author Victoria Schwab for her debut The Near Witch. I'm going to give you a taste of what to expect in the interview:

There are certain books you hear about and just know that you have to read because you are going to love it. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab is one such book. A powerful witch, a stranger, missing children, and a tricky wind blowing over a dangerous Moor bring to life a beautifully written story that will leave you feeling like you’ve actually entered the world of Near. 

I was really fortunate enough to receive two ARCs of the Near Witch. So I get to give one away to help spread the word out for this lovely book. To win a copy, all you have to do is leave a comment right here on this post. that's it! This contest is open internationally so help spread the word that the Near Witch is coming!

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Caroline Richmond

Today's guest post is by my very good buddy Caroline Richmond. We are big foodies together and have found some of the best "hole in the wall" places to eat in our neck of the woods. She's also a fabulous YA/MG author repped by the amazing Jim McCarthy of DGLM and I love the advice she has for other writers. So here's Caroline:

I've always wanted to become a writer but I didn't take it seriously until the spring of 2007. Back then, I was 24 and newly married and—whoo boy!—I had stars in my eyes.

I'd get an agent within a month of querying!
I'd get a book deal for a gazillion dollars!

I'd land on the bestsellers' list and go on a book tour in my new yacht! 

We all go through this phase, right? I mean, haven't we all dreamt about owning a book-tour yacht?

No? Only me?

Anyway… Sometimes I wish I could sit down with my former self just to save myself from a little heartache. If I had a time machine, I’d take my younger self out for some ice cream and I'd offer her some unsolicited advice.

1. Learn to deal with rejection. 

If you really want to be a writer—and I know you do—then you have to find a way to live with rejection. Right now, your way of dealing with rejection consists of crying for an hour, pulling out your hair, and researching other professions. Not only is this immature, it also gives you bald spots. (Okay, not really.) But you gotta stop this!

I'll be honest: getting rejected never gets easier. It's always gonna sting. But if you want to succeed in this field, then you have to stop letting rejection cripple you. You have to keep forging ahead—even if your heart hurts like hell.  Eventually the pain does ebb away and you'll be all the stronger for it. 

2. For the love of God, please make some writing friends! 
I know you're scared. You lurk on writing boards every day, but you're too shy to say anything. You're afraid to admit that you want to become a writer. You're afraid that people will laugh at you if you fail.

Oh, honey. Writing friends are the best! They encourage you, cheer for you, and buoy you up when times get tough. They're the only people who truly understand what you're going through...so why are you depriving yourself from such a rich support system?!

3. Finally, yet most importantly, learn to find balance. 
Look, I know that you love to pursue things at full warp speed. When it comes to this writing thing, your mind is screaming at you to, "Get Published or Bust!" But this kind of mentality makes your emotions go haywire. For example, in December 2009, you spend over two hours crying over a rejection from an agent. Two hours! You could've spent that time watching a movie or baking cinnamon bread or, you know, revising your book.

So please find a couple hobbies outside of writing. Like painting. Or photography. Or signing up for that baking class you've always wanted to take. The key here is to balance out your life. Right now, you focus so much on writing that it blinds you from the other good things in your life. And that isn’t healthy.

Well, I really should get going—I have to get back to the future to record the newest episode of So You Think You Can Dance—but I want to wish you good luck and I hope you'll keep your chin up. There are going to be some tough times ahead but you’re going to get through them just fine. 

Oh, you might also want to invest in a company called “Twitter.” Trust me. It’ll be for your yacht fund.

Caroline Tung Richmond is a freelance writer living in the great wilds of the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Her work has been featured in the Baltimore Sun, Highlights, and USAToday.com. Along with freelancing, Caroline also writes MG and YA fiction, mostly of the speculative sort. She’s represented by Jim McCarthy of DGLM, and she blogs regularly at carolineinspace.blogspot.com

Random Funny Things My Kids Say - Part 51

If you follow me on Facebook then you know that my sister just had a baby and that I am a proud auntie once again! I have to admit, it was love at first sight. My little nephew is so cute and so sweet. It is amazing how much you forget about what babies are like. My 3 girls and I keep fighting every minute over who gets to hold him.

Having a new baby in the family reminds me of how quickly time flies. My oldest is now 12, Angus turns 10 this month, and youngest is 7 years old. But it doesn't feel that long ago when they were all this small. It's bittersweet. I'm so proud to see my girls growing up, turning into great people. But I also miss them being small and defenseless - where I could pick them up and hug and kiss them as much as I want. Oldest is exactly my height and Angus is not far behind. And Youngest is too heavy to pick up anymore. But no matter what, they will always be my babies.

So I'm in the kitchen, cooking dinner, and I overhear the girls talking about babies and how cute Sebastian is. And then the conversation veered into when they grew up and if they would have kids.

Oldest - Babies are cute but I don't want to be pregnant. Yuck.

Angus - I think it's more painful than getting a tattoo!

Youngest - Let's just have dogs and cats. They don't hurt.

Angus - But then you have to clean up their pee and poo. Too much responsibility!

Youngest - Hey, when the baby is in the Mommy's stomach, what happens when it pees and poos?

Angus starts cracking up.

Youngest (laughing) - And what about when the baby farts? Where does it come out?

Angus - I bet when the baby farts the mother burps or farts it out too.

Youngest - So when the baby poos...

Both girls shriek making grossed out sounds.

Oldest - This is a disgusting conversation. I'm leaving. (runs upstairs)


When they grow up, I'm going to miss these conversations.

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Mike Jung

Today's guest post is by the other member of the Ninja Triad, the great and all powerful Mike Jung, who my kids like to refer to as Zombie Mike. This is because for some odd reason when they were on a zombie kick, they all delighted in drawing pictures of Mike as a zombie. Mike is also hysterically funny and wildly talented (yes being hysterically funny was a requisite for being a member of the Ninja Triad.) So I take special pleasure in welcoming Mike to guest post for me!

Hey there Ellen Oh’s blog readers! You may or may not have read my post for DEAR TEEN ME, where I first said what I’m basically gonna say here – I, uh, don’t get too worked up about what I could have done differently in the past, just because it’s done, ya know? And when we’re talking about my nascent career as a writer, well geez, I like how things are going these days. I’m working with the best people, having fun, meeting other writers, feeling as confident of my creative abilities as I ever have...my career feels like it’s off to a pretty good start.

So I’m halfway inclined to make my advice nothing more than “you know what, just keep doing what you’re doing – the letters, off-the-cuff short stories about alien rabbits, bizarre explanations of art projects, song parodies, actual songs, inappropriately handled essays, weird one-act plays, and all those emails about nothing at all – keep it up, yo, because it’s gonna happen. You’ll be a writer.”

But of course who can resist the siren song of what might have been? And there ARE moments that have stayed with me over the years. For example, there was that guy I met during orientation, right at the start of my freshman year of college – the one who said he was writing a novel. I remember saying “cool, dude,” or something equally inane, but I also remember thinking “a novel? Really? Who does that? No way can this guy write a novel.”

Yep, that’s right, my advice isn’t something as standard as “don’t listen to those asshats who insist you can’t follow your bliss,” although it IS good advice, and not just because I enjoy saying “asshat.” Don’t get me wrong, though, “disregard the haters” is an integral part of my advice - in fact, you could rightly call it prerequisite advice. Disregard the haters, because if you don’t, you will become one of them.

THIS! Avoid making this kind of doubting asshat face!

“But Mike!” all of Ellen’s blog readers squeal in protest. “You’re not a hater! …um, are you? I only know you via the internet, after all, so maybe you are? I don’t know…” Well, I like to think I’m not, but to be frank I’ve indulged in my share of bad attitude. And maybe there’s not all that much to be done about it in the end, because, well, life is just much bigger than any single piece of 20/20 hindsight. Still, advice aimed toward one’s younger self can be relevant to one’s future self too, right? And “don’t be a hater,” despite my fondness for the verbiage, is reductive.

Ah yes, it’s taken me this entire blog post to figure out how to say it. What I really, really mean to say is learn to cope with fear. Fear that you’re not good enough, fear that the haters are right, fear that you’ll try and fail and end up feeling worse than when you started, fear that your insecurities will prove to be cast-iron truth…fear that you’re a loser. The haters? They’re just barfing up their own fear all over you, buddy, trying to force you to carry that burden for them instead of learning how to cope with it themselves.

Don’t forget the fear – yeah, right, like that would ever happen, but seriously, the fear is a really nutritious kind of mulch for your future creative efforts. Just…learn to cope with it without turning into a hater yourself, and that’s tricky, chump. As we’ve already seen, you’re eminently capable of it. I could say “if only in your own mind,” but that’s the most important component of it, because that’s where you unleash the hate on yourself. That guy you met in college? Who knows where he is, but your internal skepticism didn’t affect him at all. The only person it affected? YOU, CHUMP. And damn, boyo, it’s so backward, because you’re good at this! You can write like hell!

Which I guess brings me full circle. Learn to cope with fear, ignore the asshats, don’t become a hater…sounds good, right? Sure it does. Keep cranking out the weird little stories, oddball letters to friends, song parodies, bizarre one-act plays, inappropriately fictionalized school essays, slightly unprofessional work emails, and so on. In fact, you know what, just keep doing what you’re doing, because it’s gonna happen. You’ll be a writer.

Mike Jung still writes all kinds of strange and random stuff, but these days he does it mostly via blog posts and Facebook updates. Oh yeah, he also got past the hater barrier and wrote a middle-grade novel called GEEKS, GIRLS & SECRET IDENTITIES, which is forthcoming from Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic.

What's the Best Writerly Advice You'd Give Your Younger Self - Martha Flynn

Today is the start of a regular series I'm doing called "What's the best writerly advice you'd give your younger self?" (When I say regular, I mean once or twice a month.) I'm starting with a guest post from one of my NinjaTriad critique members, Martha Flynn, who is not only an incredibly talented writer, but she is just an all around fabulous human being that makes me laugh til I pee and loves food as much as I do.

So here is the fabulous Martha Flynn in her own words:

Like many writers, I can't remember a time when I wasn't telling a story.

I've taken crayola to scrap paper. I've lied through my teeth to rivet a cafeteria of classmates. When met with language barriers, I've taken a stick to the playground sandbox.

But after high school, I got my head up my ass.

I debated whether to write every day or when the muse strikes.
I was sidelined by plotting versus pantsing.
I experimented with banging out a draft versus editing along the way.
I formed opinions on adverbs because all the cool kids had one.
I wavered on whether to be well read or to come in fresh to a genre.
I crapped my pants on how to blog, tweet and facebook.
I spreadsheeted the pros and cons of traditional versus self publishing.
I looked for patterns in what's hot and what's hype.
I angsted over whether I should angst and whether I was angsting enough.

I spent an enormous amount of time and energy forming opinions, seeking the advice of others, reforming my thoughts, and beating a lot of dead, mutilated, practically cremated horses.

Worst of all, I thought I had the holy grail: answers. I become a naysayer. Nay to opening a query with a question. Nay to having a character look in a mirror to describe herself. Nay to telling and exposition. Nay to any font that isn't times new roman. Worst of all, nay to things I knew nothing about.

I'm not saying I shouldn't have explored my craft and debated the businesses and worked networking mojo and followed industry standards. A writer should do all those things.

But I shouldn't have cared so much.

The only thing I need to know, the only thing that matters, the only thing to care about, the only thing that will satisfy a true storyteller at the end of her life is story. Whether its crayola on scrap paper or an auditory show or sand carvings with a stick.

Story matters.

Everything else is noise.

Martha Flynn's love of young-adult literature is second only to her love for her family, her friends, delicious food, San Francisco, action-adventure movies, surviving the apocalypse and...well, okay, she loves a lot of things. Her contemporary young-adult fiction with paranormal flair is represented by Jennifer Mattson of The Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

The Fountain of Poo

There is a fairly new town center development in the town over from mine that I've only been to a few times. In the middle of the town center is a large water play area which in the summer is filled with kids running in their bathing suits. Water sprays up in about 50 little geysers. Last summer when I took the girls up there, we had the great pleasure of watching as a young boy decided to pee right in the middle of the water while his mother just stood by watching him. The girls and I decided to leave immediately.

This year we met some of our friends for lunch and afterward the girls and their friends went to run around in the fountain area. After awhile they got tired and lay out in the sun. I was standing with my friend and suddenly noticed a pile of brown stuff on the left side of the water area, right between a few geysers.

"That's not what I think it is, right?" I asked my friend.

"I don't know, I don't think so, but I'm not walking over to find out!" she said. "Besides, if it were what we think it was, our kids would have definitely said something."

"Yeah, you're right," I said. Then our friends had to leave. We said our goodbyes and then as we walked away, Angus and Youngest start to shriek.

"Mommy! There's poop in there! And it definitely wasn't there before!"

"It is? Are you sure? I mean it could be a leaf or a pile of dirt?"

All three girls walk closer and then run back to me. "That's POOP!!!!! And those kids just ran through it!!!"

I then noticed that some of the brown stuff was definitely smashed now. But still a big turd was left untouched. I quickly walked over to a group of parents who were watching their kids play in the water and I warn them about the poop. They all thank me and call their kids over - but not to come out, just to stay on the right side of the play area. I'm a bit shocked. So I walk around the square until I notice a security guard and then tell him about the poop. He calls over a cleaning person and ask me to show them where the poop is. By now everyone with kids in the water area can see that I'm pointing to a big brown pile of poop and the woman who is cleaning is making the nastiest face of disgust. I mean I don't know how much clearer it could be. THERE'S POOP IN THE WATER AREA!!!! But the kids are still allowed to play. They are still running around. At that point, the girls and I are so grossed out we once again run away.

As we are leaving, Oldest said, "Boy, Mom, we have really bad luck there. Last year we see a boy going number 1 in to the water, this year we find number 2, what will happen next year?"

Angus - Diarrhea, definitely, diarrhea.

Youngest - I say vomit.

Oldest - I say we don't go back to the fountain of poo again.

All in favor said aye and the ayes have it. No more fountain of poo for the Oh family.