In Which The Front Row Writes

Howdy pals!

So today starts a new blog series I'm a part of called The Front Row Writes




Look, we have a logo and everything!

The Front Row is a writing group I belong to, made up of my MFA peers, the ones I walked across the stage with in Januray *sniff*

We're called The Front Row because, shocker, that's where we always sat during lectures and stuff.

Awww - look at these awesome jerks

Anyway, I blog fairly regularly and so do my pals, so were tying a new blog series where we take a topic and write about it.

I took Monday, (because it's super easy for me to blog on Mondays) and the theme this time is WHERE WE WRITE.

I used to write kind of all over the place.

Well, I used to write on the couch with my laptop and my pups on either side of me. It was great. But also distracting because the TV was right there and sometimes Brother plays video games.

And, I mean, I can write while watching TV or video games, I just am not very prolific when all that's going on.

And over the last 5 or so years, I've gotten away from writing on the weekends (unless I really have time (which, let's get serious, I never have time for anything anymore. I am busy busy busy)) and I pretty much never write in the evenings (I think the last time I did serious evening writing was in 2009, the first time I did NaNo. I would come home from work, sit on the couch and punch out my 1600 words. But that was back when I had a 1.5 hour commute (one way) so a lot has changed since then)

So now, I pretty much do all my writing at my desk.

Which is good. I love my desk.

I've talked before about how it's an uplift, so I can raise it up to stand if I want.
But it also has a ton of space. I have my little netbook on there, to keep my gmail open (this is a habit I developed during my years of querying and it has stuck fast) my current notebook for whatever novel I'm working on, knick knacks (of course) and a box to the right which is filled both with used notebooks and folders, as well as brand new notebooks and folders for whenever I need one.

Also, the windows are great (except for when it's really cold in the winter, or when the sun hits the screen during a certain time of year) because I can watch the birds at the birdfeeders.

So, yeah. That's my writing space!

Here's the schedule for the rest of the Front Rower's posts:

Tuesday: Josh
Wednesday: Zack
Thursday: Jessica
Friday: Brita
Saturday: Jennifer
Sunday: Anna

In Which I Am A Master

I've been away for a few days. Ten, actually, for my MFA residency.

My last one *sniff*

But what that means is . . .

I AM NOW A MASTER OF THE FINE ARTS.

That's right, I hold all the knowledge. There isn't any more to learn because I have learned it all.

In all seriousness though, this residency was the best one of the last 2 years. There were multiple reasons for this, one of them being that since it was my class's last one, there was a lot of love tossed our way, which is always wonderful, when you realize just how close you've become to everyone in the program (real close, by the way)

But also, some great things happened. Right before residency Gene Yang was named the Ambassador for Children's Literature, and since he's one of our faculty in the program, that was awesome (if you ever get a chance to see Gene speak, do so. He is fantastic and really entertaining)

Then, during residency, Matt de la Pena and Laura Ruby won the Newbery and the Printz respectively, and since they, too, are faculty, there was a ton of celebrating (cheers in the hotel lobby was especially fun)

Throw in me and my class's graduate readings and great lectures by faculty and other students and it was a residency to remember.

I'm glad to be done with the program, though. Well, that's not entirely true. I'm ready to be done with the work, especially since i have enough work with my other books to keep me busy, but I am going to miss the residencies. I think I could go to them every six months for pretty much my entire life.

So, yeah. But now that I'm a master, it's time to turn my attention to ASSASSIN'S HEART'S release. EEEEEE!

Speaking of which, Today begins the blog tour for ASSASSIN'S HEART.

I'm over at Adventures of a Book Junkie, talking about ASSASSIN'S HEART (natch) as well as giving some more information on more of the assassin Families that make up the world of ASSASSIN'S HEART. So stop on by if that sounds like your thing. 

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Well, it's the first Wednesday of the month which means it's time for IWSG.

co-hosts this month are L.G. Keltner, Denise Covey, Sheri Larsen, J.Q. Rose, Chemist Ken, and Michelle Wallace! 

It's also the first Wednesday of 2016. I don't know how that happened.

And, honestly, I have plenty of things to be insecure about.

In a week I'll be doing my grad reading and a few days after that I'll be actually graduating from my MFA program.

And a few weeks after that, ASSASSIN'S HEART will finally be out in the world. I'm sure some people won't like it (no one likes everything), but I know some people will like and some may even love it and that's great, because those are the people I wrote it for.

And with the book launch comes a launch party and all that jazz.

So, yeah, lots of things to be worried about.

But, honestly, I'm not feeling very worried or insecure right at the moment. I know that could easily change (it could change as soon as I'm done with this parenthetical)(it didn't)
but right now I'm feeling fine. Probably I'm just too busy to worry about anything right now.

The worries will come back, but I'm not about to go looking for them, if you know what I mean.

Happy 2016 everyone. Let's kick some butt.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Well, today is the last IWSG of 2016. Seems like the year just flew by.

It was a year of a lot of new things for me. I did edits on ASSASSIN'S HEART and copy edits. And first page passes. I got to see my cover for the first time, then hold my arcs. I got my first Goodreads reviews, and my first trade reviews.

And in 60 days the book will be out in the world, to do it's thing.

Which is extremely exciting.

But also scary.

Things move so slow in publishing, so even though you have an agent, or a book deal, etc, etc, it really doesn't feel like much has changed. Unless you quit your job to write full time or something. Which, yeah, is something I would love to do sometime in the future, but also, right now, I think I want to work my day job as long as I possibly can, for financial reasons alone. A twice monthly paycheck is something I'm not sure I'm ready to give up, yet. Even though multiple times a week I sit at my desk and just think about putting in my notice.

Sigh.

But, really, nothing much feels different. And I suspect the same will be said on February 2nd, the actual release date of ASSASSIN'S HEART. It will probably just be like any other day. And that's okay.

(though, really, I'm totally taking the day off from work. Probably get something good to eat for lunch, and then maybe hit a couple of bookstores to see my little book baby in the world.)

Anyway, I have work to do. Book 2 will need to be revised. And revised again. And in January, before any of this, I'll be graduating from my MFA. Something I'm both super excited and super sad about. 2 years went by too fast.

So, yeah. It's going to be a busy few months. But exciting. And I'm looking forward to it.

In Which I Talk Monstrous Characters In Kidlit

In my MFA program we have two theses. When you're in your third semester you write a critical thesis, which is where you do a lot of research and reading and write a paper on your topic of choice. Similar to any other MFA program. And then when you're in your fourth and final semester you complete a creative thesis, which is pretty much what it sounds like 80 pages of polished, publishable creative work (this can vary some if, say, you're a picture book writer or a graphic novelist etc)

I'm in my fourth semester right now which means I'm working on my creative thesis and means I completed my critical thesis last semester.

When you're done with the paper, then you have to give a 20 min lecture on your topic, which was something I was not looking forward to at all, but then by the time I got there, I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I'd be.

So I got up (I was the first to go out of my class) gave my lecture, answered any questions (and I was so glad I was able to answer them. I was worried people would ask me crazy smart questions and I'd be like, bahdunno. But that didn't happen) and then I was done. And I felt great!

The lecture was recorded and I thought I'd share it here in case anyone wanted to watch it or if you wanted to know a bit more about how some kidlit authors create monstrous characters.

 

In Which I'm Back

So I'm back from my residency. And I'm busier then all hell, right now.

A lot of the business is fun stuff, like going to the cabin and hosting a baby shower, or going to the state fair (EEEEEE!! So much good food. Also, if you're FB friends with me, prepare for food photos. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED). But I'm also busy on the writing front as well.

My advisor for my last semester of my MFA (*sniff* final semester sadness), though, is the wonderful, awesome, wickedly smart Swati Avasthi!!

Which is great. I've always wanted to work with Swati and so now I'm super excited that I get the chance to!

So, yeah. Busy time of year. But things will calm down some once we hit autumn.

I hope, anyway.

How about you? Is this a busy time of year for you?

(also, how is it August already??)

In Which There Will Be A Hiatus

As mentioned last week, I am super super busy right now.

And one of those busy reasons is because starting on Thursday is my MFA residency.  Which means no blog posts next week and probably the week after.

But I will have posts for the rest of this week, including a Wednesday Weird for tomorrow, so I hope you stop by!

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month (first day of the month, actual) which means it's time for IWSG.

Co-hosts this week are Charity Bradford, S.A. Larsen, AJ, Tamara Narayan, Allison Gammons, and Tanya Miranda!

I feel a bit like a broken record. I think my last 3-5 IWSG posts have been pretty much the same. I'm worried about time.

I think this is the busiest I've ever been in my life. I'm working on book 2, I'm preparing to go into my last semester for my MFA, and I have to give a presentation on my Critical Thesis in two weeks.

A lot of this stuff has and end date of course. But, of course, then more things will crop up. Like, in a few weeks, I'm done with the presentation, but after that I'll have to start working on my Creative Thesis, which is my MG fantasy. Which, of course, is great! I love it and I'm excited to work on it.
But I still need to finish the draft of book 2, and that obviously has to take priority.

Still, though, once we're into fall, things should hopefully slow down a bit.

But then, of course, come winter I'll have the BOOK LAUNCH (eee!) for ASSASSIN'S HEART.

So I guess that means it's time to put my head down and get back to work. The only way out, as usual, is through.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Here we are, the first Wednesday in June which means it's time for IWSG

Co-hosts for today's post are  M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee

I'm really excited for June. Well, maybe excited is the wrong word. June is the first month in a while where I'll be able to feel like I can breath again.

My semester is over, which means no more homework until July (except for my critical thesis presentation. I have to work on that and have it ready to go for my presentation in early July.) So because the semester is over, it means I don't have to work on more than one manuscript at a time. Which means I can completely focus on my sequel. Which also means I will be pulling out all the stops on it this month and pumping through it as hard and as fast as I can.

Finishing it is the goal. And by goal, I mean THIS IS A THING I MUST DO. Preferably finishing it as fast as possible so I can immediately jump into the revisions I know it desperately needs. The first 80 pages need to be pretty much rewritten. I mean, not from scratch, but my MC completely changed after that, as did a villain, as did her motivations and goals, so all existing scenes need to be changed to reflect those changes, though the bones of the scenes, I think, can stay.

So, yeah. I mean, maybe I should be worried about the amount of work I'm facing, and I am a bit worried, but mostly, it looks easier from where I'm standing since I've been facing this work for a few months now, it's just that before I also had schoolwork to accomplish as well.

Anyway, that's what's up with me. How about you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month which means it's time for IWSG

co-hosts this month are:  Eva Solar, Melanie Schulz, Lisa-Buie Collard, and Stephen Tremp

First off, congrats to everyone who made it through the A to Z challenge. You guys are bamfs.

On to insecurity. I'm both so happy and so terrified that we've made it into May. Happy because the end of May marks the end of this semester (which is bittersweet, because that means I'm closer to school being done forever (sad) but also, this semester was super, super busy) and also I have a good, long, well-deserved vacay in May.

But also, I'm still working towards a deadline on Book 2 for ASSASSIN'S HEART and I know that vacay will interfere with my progress.

Which means that I can't slow down at all, and probably I should pick up the pace some. I'm already putting in 1400-2000 words a day (4x a week) on book 2, so probably it means that I need at least 2K a day, and I should probably start trying to get some writing in on Sundays too (which is hard, though, because I tend to do a lot of stuff on Sundays, including meeting up with different writer pals)

So, yeah. May. More than anything I wish I was further into Book 2. The first 80 pages slowed  me a down a lot because they were not good. At all. But then I finally sat down and fixed things and it's ben going a lot better now, but I know I need to go back and redo those first 80 pages.

Also, writing two books at a time (Book 2 and my MG fantasy for school) is not something I would willingly choose for myself again in the future.

But, on the plus side, May means we're closer to fun things with ASSASSIN'S HEART. Like arcs, and cover reveals (tee hee! Maaaaaaybe I've already seen the cover and maaaaaaybe I kind of love it hardcore) and all that fun stuff that just makes all of this seem more real.

Anyway, May is here to stay and I know, as always, the best way out is through, so back to work I go.

How are things going for you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month means it's IWSG.

Co-hosts for the April 1 posting of the IWSG will be Suzanne Furness, Tonja Drecker, Toi Thomas, Rachna Chhabria, Fundy Blue, and Donna Hole!
And because this is the first day of April, it means a ton of people are taking their first steps on the A to Z blogging challenge. Not me, though. I'm way too busy right now to deal with that. But good luck to everyone jumping in. The month will be over before you know it.

Things have been pretty much same 'ole same 'ole for me lately. Just tying to keep my head down and get as much writing and work done as possible.

It's been really hard trying to juggle writing two books at once, Book 2 for ASSASSIN'S HEART and my MG fantasy for school. I thought I'd be able to work on one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, but that only worked once.

The problem with switching between stories is, it gives me an opportunity to stop writing for the day, which I almost always take. And then throw in other work that needs to be done (revising my critical thesis, revising my picture book) and it's just too easy for me to say "well, I'll work on that story tomorrow because right now I'll revise stuff because that needs to be done too"

Things went a lot better for me when I hit my page goal for the MG fantasy and then was able to completely set it aside and work on Book 2 alone for a week.

So I don't quite know what the solution is yet. I'm hoping things will go better once the thesis is officially done, but I guess we'll see.

How about you? Ever write two novels at the same time, both with deadlines? Have any tips for me?

In Which I Had My MFA Residency

January is full of fun things, the most fun of which is my MFA residency. That's when all the students gather on campus for ten filled days of workshopping, lectures, intensives, presentations, readings from faculty and students, banquets and a graduation.

It is so much fun. I love so many of the people in the program, and my class (we call ourselves The Front Row, because that's where we sit) are just the most awesome people. We're really close as a class which makes it even more fun because we all get along so great.

AND, of course, they are awesome, awesome writers. I don't think I convey how great they are, but I seriously have no doubts that they will all be publishing sooner rather than later. And, like, winning awards and stuff.

The Front Row Peeps (missing one who was traveling)

Residency is when we part ways with our semester advisor, too, and get a new advisor. It's always a bit bittersweet, because you don't really want to leave your current advisor (for me it was Laura Ruby I'd be saying goodbye to. She was so awesome and I loved working with her (also, she has a new book coming out next month--BONE GAP. Buy it, guys. It's going to so amazing. SO AMAZING) but you're also excited to see who you get for your new advisor (you get to submit a list of faculty you're interested in working with and then the powers that be pair you up with one of them).

This semester I'll be working with the wonderful Phyllis Root! I had her as one of my workshop faculty this residency and she was great and I'm so excited to work with her. She's already making me write a Picture Book, which I'm excited for (and maybe already wrote the draft for).

I'm officially half way done with my MFA, which is exciting, yes, but also pretty sad. It's so much fun and I love it so much that I don't want it to ever end.

Insecure Writer's Support Group

First Wednesday of the month means it's time for IWSG!

co-hosts for IWSG this month are Gwen Gardner, Dolorah, Sarah Foster, and M. Pax!

So yeah, as usual I'm feeling pretty good. I think the beginning of the month must generally be a pretty good time for me because I feel like a lot of these posts are me shrugging my shoulders saying "yeah. Things are good right now."

Which is not to say I don't have insecurities. I totally do. But things get resolved, or I address what's making me feel anxious and then let it go.

I'm mildly worried about writing my critical thesis for my MFA. My first draft is due to my advisor by the end of February. Which is plenty of time. But I'm in the middle of another round of edits, so that has to take priority. But those will be done in another week or so, so then it's back to the paper. And I know what I'm writing about and I have my primary sources. It's just getting it all together into something that makes sense which is just bluuurgh.

But, I know once I do it, the biggest hurdle is crossed. Get that draft out and then I can spend next month fixing it.

But then of course there are other hurdles. Writing book 2. Writing my MG fantasy. So, pretty much, a lot of writing. But, of course, that's the good kind of work.

How are things for you?

In Which I Have My MFA Residency

Hey, blog pals.

I'm at my MFA Residency this week, so no blog posts for me. Have a great week!

 

IWSG

January is just filled with firsts.

And here were are, at the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's the first Insecure Writer's Support Group of 2015.

And things are going pretty good for me. Yes I have a lot of work to do on a lot of different things (book, sequel, edits, school and my Critical Thesis this semester) but the Holidays seem to have mostly rejuvenated me, like I hoped they would.

Later this week my MFA residency starts and I'm super excited for that, especially to see all my friends again.

So I guess this is kind of a throw-away post. I'm not feeling insecure, really, about anything at the moment. Though I'm sure that'll change at some point.

How are things going for you?

 

In Which I Return From Residency

So I'm back from my MFA residency. Obviously since I  blogged last week and junk.

Residency was great! I got to catch up with any and all friends I hadn't seen for 6 months.

Mainly, these nerds:

But also peeps that aren't in the same class with me. There was also an incoming class and it was fun getting to know the newbs.

Workshop was frickin' awesome, as usual. My workshop instructors were Laura Ruby and Jane Resh Thomas. Tears were cried, but there was also a lot of laughing, and, most importantly, some amazing crits from my fellow workshop peeps and the instructor. I can only hope I gave as well as I got.

Then midweek or so it was time to get our new mentors. I had to say goodbye to the amazing and awesome Anne Ursu, and circle 6 new names for instructors I would want to work with. Then there would be a secret meeting (lovingly called The Sorting Hat) and we would be assigned new mentors based on whom we'd circled and what we wanted to work on this next semester.

I'm going into second semester, which is a lot like first semester except we're expected to write a ten page paper besides our three 5 pagers. This it to start preparing us for the 30 page Critical Thesis we'll have to tackle next semester.

But, Anne made me write a 10 pager last semester so I'm well prepared for that.

So after I circled my names and wondered who I'd get, I was assigned to lovely and talented Laura Ruby!!

I'm so so super excited to work with her, especially after having her as my workshop instructor. Going into the program I was really hopeful I'd get to work with her at some point, so I'm glad I do.

And that's a nutshell of what happened during residency.

How are things going with you? Fill me in on your summer!

In Which I'm At My Residency

As the title says, I'm off for my second residency for my MFA.





I'm super excited and I know it will be so much fun, but that means no blogging until I'm back, probably the week of the 21st, or maybe even the 28th.

Have a great few weeks and I'll catch you on the flip side!

In Which I Hodge-Podge

Here we are, another Monday. Yay?

On the plus side, I've turned in my final assignments for my first semester of my MFA, which is awesome. Now I have a month off until semester two starts. Which is good because I'll be working on revisions and edits for ALL THAT REMAINS.

Also it will give me some time to try and get ahead on my required reading list. I'm reaching the end of the books I can find at my county library system. Soon I'll need to start asking about interlibrary loans.

June for me is the first month that starts to feel like summer. It's been warm and sunny enough that I've resumed eating my lunches outside while reading whatever I'm reading at the time. At least until the sun makes me too hot and I have to go inside. And unless it's raining, of course.

And June means one of my favorite local conferences: 4TH STREET FANTASY. It's small, it's single panel, and it attracts some big names in the fantasy and sci-fi community. It's also completely affordable (I think I paid $60 for my early registration, and that wasn't even the earliest price).
So I'm definitely looking forward to that next weekend.

Also, I've officially taken over the From the Vault posts at YA Confidential.

Every Monday the bloggers answer a question and anyone who comments on the Vault posts for the month have a chance of winning a free book at the end of the month. I'm not kidding here. Every month we give out a free book (winner's choice), and it could easily be you and all it takes is a comment.

So that's it! What's up with you?

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Well, it's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for May's IWSG.

I always feel like I have insecurities during the month, but then when IWSG comes around, they're gone and I'm feeling pretty good.

I think, as always, I'm still worried about my workload. So far the MFA is going well and I haven't had any troubles keeping up. But I think there's always an underlining of fear. What if THIS packet I have troubles finishing? Our next residency is in early July (YAY! I'm so excited!) but that means I'll have to switch mentors (Sniff. I love working with Anne Ursu). And while I'm sure whomever I get for second semester will be fine and awesome, what if the change is enough to make me lose any momentum I've had?

Also, I wish I was further along in my WIP. I'm over 30K now, which is great. But that's 30K over four months, which is not great. Usually it takes me about 2-3 months to write a whole draft, but the MFA has really slowed things down.

While I'm in the MFA, I'd like to try my hand at writing a Picture Book, or a Middle Grade (especially the latter) and it seems like the perfect time to do it, when I'll have a mentor who knows what they're doing and can help me. But I don't necessarily like the idea of setting aside an unfinished MS to start another one.

So, you know, timing. It always comes down to timing.

I'm sure everything will work out fine and I'll figure things out, but nonetheless the feels creep in. As they always do.

How are things going for you?

In Which I Work Work Work

I'm back to blogging after my two week hiatus. But the two weeks off let me get done what I needed to get done, mostly finish up my two papers for my MFA packet.

Of course, now I'm working on packet #3, which means more writing, more revising and another paper. The work: she never ends.

My mentor this semester is Anne Ursu.

Have you guys read this? Because you should. I love it so much.

And she's been awesome. She's great to work with, and really gets what I'm trying to do with my WIP (because right now, it's in the "fumbling" stage. You know, where you keep going forward and you know things are wrong and will need to be fixed, but you can't fix them now because you don't quite fully understand the story or the characters yet? Yeah, that stage.)

I'm only 80 pages in. I wish I was further. Honestly, I wish I was done with my first draft at this point, but obviously I've had to slow down for revisions and other MFA work. I'm not worried or anything, but, you know, a completed draft is much more fun than one just barely started.

Anyway, yeah. Back to the grindstone I go!
But I'd much rather be doing this kind of work, and writing, than pretty much anything else. So, you know, yay!

How about you? What are you working on right now?