Detours

As of 9:51 P.M. Thursday night I didn't have a blog post. I had no idea what to write about. I know I could've just skipped , but something in me wouldn't let me slack off. Not sure what it was, probably the "don't let her sleep-EVER" monster, but that is another post entirely.

So now that I've rambled my way into your Friday, let me just say TGIF! Holy cow, this felt like one of the longest weeks ever!

Okay, so this whole week I've been running with my driving / car / road construction theme. And today is no different. As I sit here and write this post I wonder about all the routes writers have taken to get to the beautiful land of the published. Did they just hop in the story car, pull out onto the road and drive on their merry way? You know, one of those boring trips where it's two points, straight line, yada, yada.

My road is not straight. Or flat. It's uphill, both ways, in the snow. . . oops, I am digressing again. In thinking about how long it has taken me to get to where I am today, I know I've hit a few detours along the way. I mean, I took a nearly 10-year break from writing! And detours aren't necessarily a bad thing. I think about all the other "stuff" I've accomplished in my life and, you know, I'm happy with it.

Writing is something I'm very passionate about. It's my vehicle to destress and leave behind a bad day, or the craziness of chasing after a preschooler and toddler. As much as I think about and worry over the process of getting published, I've decided that in the grand scheme of things, it's just another detour along my road of self-construction.

Way easier said than done.

So lay it on me, how do you feel about the road to publishing? How have you handled the stress of queries, waiting and (if you're one of the luckies!) THE CALL?

Turn On Your Brights!

I'm going to try to keep up with my theme for this week based on the Quote of the Week.

When I first had this whole epiphany that I could be published someday I didn't think too hard about it. Wrote my book. Wrote a query. Sent it all on it's merry way. Lotsa rejections later, I realized I was probably going about this the wrong way. I think at the time, the best way I could put what I was doing was flying blind. Or driving at night with no headlights.

Unless you're a Transformer with excellent night vision or something, I don't advise this.

So I started researching.

• Publishing
• Queries
• Agents
• Synopses
• Trends
• Genres

My biggest lesson is that publishing is about 10% talent and all the stuff above and 90% luck. My ratios may be slightly off, but I don't think you'll find many people who will argue that there is much more on the talent / stuff side than what I'm estimating.

So with only around 10% of things in your control, wouldn't you want to turn on the brights of your car and light up anything along the road that might help you increase your odds?

Below I've gathered a few links I've found helpful through all my research. If you guys know of any that aren't on my list, please let me know! Knowledge is power. Even if my brain is at capacity and I'll have to purge some of the old stuff to take in the new stuff. . . I don't really know how to tie shoes, right? That's what velcro is for. . .

Anyway, here you go! These are just a few that I've used, so by no means think that is a complete list.

QueryTracker.net – This is a great database to track your queries and do agent and agency research. They also have a great blog they publish daily and a forum where you can meet other writers slugging through the slush.

AgentQuery.com – Another website where you can research agents and literary agencies.

Preditors & Editors – A good website to double check on agent reputations before you query and/or sign with one.

JacketFlap.com – This site is a huge resource for those who write for the children’s & YA markets.

WritersMarket.com – This is a subscription required site that is updated monthly with information about agents, literary agencies, publishers and other industry stuff. The writers on the staff also have blogs that provide you with a whole slew of helpful tips.

Publishers Marketplace – Much like the other sites listed above, this is yet another resource to research agents and publishers.

Here are a few agents who blog who I've found to be awesomely insightful and helpful:.

Nathan Bransford – Curtis Brown Literary Agency

Rachelle Gardner – Wordserve Literary Agency
Janet Reid – FinePrint Literary Management runs Query Shark
Jessica Faust – BookEnds, LLC

Also, don't be afraid to reach out to other writers in the vast blog-o-sphere. Start commenting. Join discussions. You never know who you'll meet and it's amazing how many great friends you may end up finding along the way!

Game On!

Last night was the MLS All-Star game. That's Major League Soccer, in case you weren't sure. It was the MLS All-Stars against Everton (a major team from the UK). The game was played here in Utah at the Rio Tinto Stadium, home of Real Salt Lake, so I was privy to the huge crowd that gathered for the sold out game.

I'm not a huge sports junkie or anything, and my husband isn't a huge soccer fan, but he enjoys watching some of the bigger games and as I happened to be in the room, I was along for the ride. So with the game on TV right in front of me, I couldn't help catching bits and pieces of it.

Well, watching these guys running back and forth trying to score got me thinking. It's sort of like this whole working toward getting published process, right?

Game 1: Getting an Agent

Okay, so your book is the soccer ball.

The goal is getting an agent.

All the players on the field? Those would be the agents.

So as soon as you send out those queries, Game's On! Your book floats out there amongst the agents, until one (or more) make a request, so one of them is taking control of the ball. It could be a goal, it could be a pass, you just never know.

And if you are lucky enough to get a goal in that first game (sign with an agent) you just move on into the next game.

Game 2: Getting Published

Your book is still the soccer ball.

The goal is being published.

The players are now the publishing houses you and and your agent submit to.

Still following?

If one of the games ends in a shootout, well that just represents all those revisions that an agent / publisher could ask for. More chances to get the ball into the goal.

In all soccer games everyone loves to hear the shout of GOAL!!!! Especially when it is your team (your book) getting the goal! So get your game faces on! We've got some goals to score!

Oh, and by the way, if you were wondering about the MLS All-Star game: It ended in a tie 1-1, forcing them into a shootout. Final Score: 6-5 Everton. Ah, well, as in everything else in life: You can't win 'em all.