In the Land of Blog

It's an amazing fascinating whirlwind place to be with phenomenal writers who share the simplest parts of their life that make me giggle.  Seriously, there are a lot of witty people out there just waiting for the world to discover them.  So this week I have done one of two things; read blogs or battle the html code to redo my blog.

Notice the zero writing.  Yeah, me too.

As a stay at home mother I get about fifteen hours a week writing, twenty if my husband lets me work on the weekend.  Time is of the essence and I spent that time, this week, buffing up on what accomplished writers do.  (So see, I worked just not on my novel.) 

So I read some blogs on procrastination, yes I know, **insert whining voice here** but I found some really good posts that truly helped me out.  Blogs about goal mapping, making a writer’s to do list and how to make the most out of twenty minute writing blocks of time.

After I panicked, I created a list of to do’s for myself.  This list is to get me from Point A (passion) to Point B (print).  So here it is.  Feel free to let me know what I might have left out.

Things to do…

1.                 Finish novel  Stop reading blogs

2.                 Stop writing blogs

3.                 Finish novel

4.                 Complete the three R’s: Revise, Rewrite and Redact novel (I love this word, it makes me feel…professional)

5.                 Draft a query letter

6.                 Join critique group

7.                 Redact J again, polish and spit shine

8.                 Scowl at the query draft over in the corner

9.                 Attend writing classes, workshops, conferences; network with authors, writers and agents

10.             Buy and read book about query letters

11.             Write query letter with confidence *she says as an affirmation*

12.             Research agents and agencies

13.             Mail off query

14.             Wait

15.             Wait

16.             Wait

17.             Sign with Agent

18.             Do step 7 again

19.             Find publisher, step 7

20.             Done, you have finally arrived, open champaign

"I said, 'Do you speaka my language?'

“He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich.”

Unless you come from the land down under (and in no way am I trying to insinuate that the powers that be live below the ground) if you don’t speak the language you might not know what a vegemite sandwich is.

The literary world is jungle of terms and secret guidelines that if you Google “How to find a literary agent?” you will be blasted with every blood sucking, give me money up front I’ll get you published website. Trust me, I spent a few hours doing this and got nowhere, a lonely place to be by the way. In there lies your problem. In all the land of good that is Google, your search results are as valuable as the perimeters defined.

How do you know what you’re looking for if you don’t know what it’s called?

Thousands before us have trenched through the waters of the slush pile (again, literary language defined –n. something all writers want to avoid), somehow managed to get published and now hold the secrets to the literary world. A world where you can learn the language, find the guidelines and save the damsel in distress! A-ha!

Research your favorite authors, scour their websites, inhale their blogs, and click their links because there is a wealth of knowledge out there waiting for you. I spent the entire weekend from from the birth of Saturday until the death of Sunday cramming my brain with “how to write a query” (until yesterday I did not know the official term for the letter to the agent) to “why royalty statements should be reconciled to print”, I was feeling optimistic.

Not all the websites and blogs I read were valuable, one of my favorite authors devours a certain publication the second she receives it but it was Greek to me. The point is, the more searching begets more refined searches in turn educating yourself to feel more like a local. A local squirrel that set up camp in the corner of a den full of hungry carnivores but at least you’re there.

So I’m off, to finish my book so I can ...what is that word I'm looking for *moment of letholigica*...oh yeah, redact it.

BTW…It’s an Australian vegetable extract used as a flavoring or spread.

Why A Squirrel Amongst Lions?

5:42am, when I assume all lovers of script pull up their favorite chair with a warm cup of gold and kiss the keys of their glowing lap. That's what I do. So today I lay my manuscript to the side and start a blog, something I never understood before but now feel the need to do.

For the last year I have been writing a book, which it should not have taken me a year but I am a mother and a wife first, but now the last few chapters are falling into place. From the advice of a soon to be published friend, who wrote a nonfiction how to for teachers, I should already be sending out my query (she called it another big fancy name that scared the shit out of me and I have obviously blocked it from my memory). Don't worry, I am well aware that all fiction writers must have a complete manuscript before they query an agent.

So I began to research what to write to an agent and the magical word query kept popping up. Once I dove into the world of queries I realized two things, after I slit my wrists (here goes the reason for my blog); one, I need to create an account of my journey from passion to print because secondly, I am a squirrel amongst lions.

Let me explain myself. If the blood, sweat and tears that I have already put into my book were not enough I just realized that I am only at the beginning of something and now I must revise, rewrite and reedit.

I would suggest that all amateur writers finish their book or at least be more than half way and then create the ominous query letter, I said create not send. This letter should sell your book, in one short paragraph, to some lucky agent. OMG, this will never happen. It's not easy. As a matter of fact it's darn close to a suicide letter. But...there are plenty of blogs and websites out there to help you out and searching through the lot of them I realized that I am about to begin a long journey, one that I never want to forget. So to make record of that journey I started my blog, A Squirrel Amongst Lions.

I know, my blog title doesn't make sense to you. Why not 'From Cub to Lion' to show my growth as a writer, or 'Daniel in the Lions Den', to show my survival as a writer, or 'A Lamb Amongst Lions' to show the peace on earth as an accomplished writer. Here though, in the lion's den (aka agent's slush pile) I am, at least for now, a squirrel. Something totally out of place. Write a book, what the hell was I thinking?

I never understood the purpose or better yet the desire for blogging. Every writer does it. What, do they like to hear themselves talk? Okay, maybe a little but that's only the guarantee of one audience member. To be honest, I'm okay with that because my need to document my trials and tribulations as an amateur writer is more important than entertaining the masses. I need to know I've grown as a writer and I need to see the path that took me there. So fine, I'll blog.