Friday Mixed Bag: Question about Revisions

All I have to say is TGIFF. That extra F stands for something. I'll let you interpret it as you wish. This has been a long week, no? But I'm looking forward to a full and fun weekend so it's all good.

I actually have a question today. It was posted in the comments section and I thought today would be a great day to bring it over and give it an answer. Mr. Winch asks (after buttering me up with compliments, which, as most of you know, is the best way, other than offering me food, to get anything from me,

I wondered if Chris (your agent) had any major problems with the story when you were signed. Nothing mechanically or grammatically, more in the likes of the story itself. Were there any parts where, although he loved your story, he said, "Chop the fat here" or "what in the world is this semantic slop here"? I wonder because I wonder if agents focus on the big picture (your kick-ass story) and overlook things that might be problems (plot-wise).

This is a really good question and the answer is yes. Okay, see you next week.

Oh, more. Right. One of the things Chris and the other agents (and editors) who read The Deathay Letter loved was the voice. But Chris had some issues with some of the places I'd chosen to go. There was a particular scene he felt bordered on making my character unlikable. And I'd managed to completely botch the ending in terms of tense. I'd prefer not say how because I don't want to spoil the book.

The point is that yes, there were some things that Chris had issues with plot-wise. And before he even signed me he asked me if I'd be willing to do some work on my book. Some agents will ask you to do the work before signing you. Chris did not in my case, but he has in others.

If I can get to the heart of what I think you're asking, I think some agents (and this applies to editors too) can and do look at the big picture and maybe see the potential of a project. If they're more hands-on (like Chris) or have more time, or just really believe in the project, they might ask for revisions to see how you tackle them. To see if you're capable of revising. Because you're going to spend more time revising than you did actually writing the book.

My editor at Simon Pulse asked me for revisions prior to buying the book. She had specific changes in mind, changes that completely changed the focus of the book. The core remained the same, but the focus is different. I think my willingness to revise and work on my book is what helped.

I think I've rambled a bit here so let me distill this as best as I can: Write the absolute best book you can. Don't submit it until you believe that there's nothing you can't make better about it. If you think there are plot inconsistencies or "fat" in your book, fix the inconsistencies and cut the fat. Don't expect an agent to do what you should have done. But be willing to work with an agent and revise. Take their suggestions and make them your own. Do your best and then do a little bit more.

I've often said on this blog that my agent's enthusiasm for my book is a huge reason I am where I am. It only takes one person to champion your work and help you get to that next level. With two full request out there, Mr. Winch, it sounds like you're well on your way. Congrats and thanks for the question :)

Weekend Update!

So I'm likely going to be rolling the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) into one lump post for the next few weeks. I got my revision notes back from my editor and I have a lot of stuff to do. Unfortunately blogging tends to get the short straw when I have to prioritize. That just means I'll have to make every post count!

My Friday Mixed Bag was really just going to be a short little piece on taking time to smell the roses. My boss at my day job went on vacation and when he came back he ended up in the hospital with some viral heart thing and pneumonia. The doctors attribute it to stress. My boss owns the company so he's frequently up at the ass-crack of dawn working. Then he's in the office working all day. Then he goes home and works until all hours of the night. Yes, our business is successful, but at what cost? The event has caused him to reevaluate his situation, which is awesome. What's the point in living if you can't enjoy it a little?

Saturday Health stuff: Still a fatty. I admit it: the reason I want to get healthy is because I hate looking frumpy. It has nothing to do with wanting to feel better, though that would be nice. No, mostly it's vanity. I just can't seem to find an activity that I enjoy that also has the benefits of being good for me. I get to the gym a couple times a week but it's SO BORING! Even listening to good music and podcasts and audio books it's boring. That's one of the reason I want to move to CO. I like hiking and skiing and rafting. On the dieting side, I'm doing better. I had Thai last night and still feel stuffed today, but it was SO worth it. The Thai place by my house does an awesome Panang Curry.

Sunday Media! Dexter. I got ahold of an advanced copy of the first episode of the new season and it rocks. I've been a Dexter fan since day one. He's a character with a darkness inside that most people won't admit to having, yet he's so relatable that I find myself both cheering for him and skeeved out that I'm cheering for a sociopath. That's a real credit to the writers of the show (and the original books which are also awesome). They take someone normally despicable and make him sympathetic. More than sympathetic. They make him just like us.

Anyway, so this season looks to be great. Last season ended with Dexter's marriage and the impending birth of his son. This season picks up 3 months after the delivery of the baby and there are surprises galore. It's tough being a first time parent. It's even tougher being a first time parent and a serial killer. This season is shaping up to be the best season yet. A great new antagonist is introduced and some old friends from past seasons are back with a vengeance. I highly recommend watching it when it comes on. September 27th on Showtime.

Still editing...12 days to go.

Still Breathing

Still alive. Barely. I'm into the revisions and they're kicking my butt, but I'm still at it. I'm finding a lot of new nuances to my book that I never noticed before, so yay for my awesome editors and agent!

I just participated in a really great LJ chat over at The Tenners. If there are any questions you have for a Tenner, head on over!

Soon the revisions will be over and I'll be back to regular posting. Just a few more weeks. Until then:

Twilight...with Cheeseburgers.

Hello, Tuesday. We Meet Again.

Been busy reworking my outline. I had some moments of outline panic, but a nice chat with my fantastic editors cleared it all up.

I'm not used to other people giving me their opinions on my work. It's cool and strange and annoying. Yeah, I said it. Sometimes it can be annoying. But just because it's annoying doesn't mean they're wrong. Doesn't mean they're right either. What it means is that I (and every other writer out there) have to become a better listener. I have to learn the art of zen and the scary editing letter. I have to learn how to take comments, evaluate them, and make them work for me. I also have to stop feeling bad for possibly disagreeing with all the changes. That's part of it too.

It's all a crapshoot.

Either way, we're chugging along now. Heading toward the July 1 finish line. I can't wait.

I also slacked on Monday and worked on my probable next project. I created RocketBall. It's a combination of rugby and basketball but with heely type shoes equipped with ion propulsion. Just think jetpack shoes and rugby.

This week I leave you with a pug in a toilet.

Monday Mania

Hi internet!

Loving WolframAlpha. It's not your typical search engine. It's used to find data sets. It's pretty geektastic. Good for anyone looking for hard data. Try stuff like you name or the meaning of life.

Outline got in on time. Should get outline edits back today. I'm pretty scared. After a thousand tiny cuts, will my story still be my story? Too dramatic for Monday morning. Moving on.

I'm twittering. It's a sickness. Follow the sickness

I'm working on a new design for my forthcoming website. I'm not sure what to do. I want something simple and fun and something that reflects my personality. As much as I love my ironically scary bunny, I need something more. I'll be posting some designs in the next few weeks and getting some input.

In a couple of weeks I'm moving. Being that I'm wishy-washy, I'm not ready to sign a new lease and give up on moving to CO for another year, so I'm doing the next best thing and staying at my parent's empty house for a couple of months until I can finish my revisions and turn my full attention to making this decision. There are lots of pros and cons, but right now I can't wrap my head around anything bigger than the dangling participles in chapter 3.

I'm fat again. Sigh. It seems like I do this bi-annually. I get fat from writing and working behind a desk (and let's be honest, too much TV), I get angry about it and hit the gym/bike/run hard for about three months, get into really good shape, go on a vacation, and slowly slide back into bad habits. I get a little sad when I have to go from smalls and mediums to larges, but I tell myself I'll get back on the wagon after [insert random deadline here]. And finally, I wake up one morning, look at myself in the mirror, and realize I'm gross again. It's a really sick cycle. I keep telling myself that what I need to do is find a sustainable lifestyle, but it's difficult when I'm writing 4 hours a day, working 10-11, and having to take care of a needy dog.

Anyway, I have issues losing weight without a goal. The first time it was to get into the Fire Academy. I got into the best shape of my life. The second time it was to be fit for my Europe trip. It got into great shape. This time, I'm going to do it so that I can run a marathon. It's a good goal and one that I can go after again and again. It gives me a goal that I can keep setting higher, so that it's never really achieved. Soon I'll start a weekly post that gives all the gross stats (weight, diet, running times, etc.).

And to begin the week: A turtle humping a shoe.

Let the War Begin

Another reason I love being a writer

One of the best parts of being a writer - a part I didn't know about until I sold my first book - is this amazing sense of community. I have friends, but when I talk about things like deadlines and revisions and line edits and how I'm going to resolve this plot hole or that, they look at me like I have ass face, which to be fair, I usually do. But other writers, they get it. And they produce gems like this (by the lovely Lara Zielin, author of the upcoming Donut Days):

June Fifteenth!!

Well the revision letter has come in, so now I start the march to my deadline. I'll likely be quiet here for a while, but I've been joining really great sites like The Tenners. They're a group of authors who all debut in 2010. Pretty rad stuff.

Once I hit my deadline I've got so much to do. I'll likely have more revisions, copy edits, I need to get my author photo, design and build my webpage. Lots and lots to do. Kind of daunting. Kind of exciting. All awesome.

I'll keep updating over the next 6-8 weeks, but it'll likely mostly be more videos of creepy old men with missing teeth singing...and those'll just be from my home video collection.

Wish me the luck!

The Big Revision

Waiting. It's what I'm learning to do a lot of.

I wrote Deathday Letter and waited to hear back from agents. I sent them the manuscript and waited to hear their responses. I did some revisions and waited to see what they thought. We submitted to publishers and then waited to hear back from them. I did more revisions and waited to see if they'd bite.

Now I'm waiting for the last set of BIG revisions. Essentially what went down was that my fantastic editor loved my voice and characters and concept, but thought I'd kind of missed the mark on my plot, so she bought me a clue and set me loose to see if I could revise based on her input. She liked it and the book sold. But it's still not finished. In a week or so I'll get a book-sized list of suggestions that I'll have to digest and incorporate (or not) into my book. It's scary. I was game on the original revisions because the plot didn't really change, I just focused in on something else. It's like when you take a picture, and it's an awesome picture, but instead of focusing in on the person in front of the tree, you focus in on the tree. I'm scared that, having had a few months to mull it all over, they're going to want me to get rid of the tree all together and focus on something else.

I'm likely just fretting over a thing that won't be an issue, but that's what I do when I have to wait.

Still, it's all awesome.