Thanks to SCBWI overnight and this morning, I realised I hadn't updated my author's CV since December 2016 so I've been working on that this morning and realising just how much authory type experience I've got and how much doing the free courses really have helped to improve it!
If you're looking for an agent, like me, then I definitely recommend getting to work on your author's CV (not your "normal" CV, an additional one reserved purely for agents and publishers) just in case they spring the "show us yer writing CV then" when you get that full manuscript request... you can then go "no probs, it's attached" in reply to their email instead of rushing to put one together and not creating such a good impression after all.
Better to be too prepared and not need it, than totally unprepared I reckon! 👍😀
Monday, 20 August 2018
Thursday, 16 August 2018
With thanks to my in-house geek...
Just put up a new page in the members area but couldn't get either of the navigation dooberries to show up, so I grovelled with my in-house geek and it was sorted within 5 minutes!
Thank you so so much, Steve!
Thank you so so much, Steve!
Book review: "Who's taken it?" by Andrew Green
⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5
What an adorable little book!
The names at the start will be hard for younger children to get their head around because they are long and complicated but that's the only reason I'm knocking off a star.
It's cute, funny and it really rhymes. The pictures on each page are adorable and he's put a couple of spreads on their sides which are awesome!
WTG, Andrew! Keep up with the great work and I can't wait to read your next one!
If you've got a child who is pre-school to Year 2 then definitely get this book for them, if your child is below pre-school then you may find you have to read the first few pages a few times before they understand the names that the author has used.
A definite must read for young children at any time of day though!
Saturday, 11 August 2018
If you subbed to March Hamilton...
If you subbed to March Hamilton during July, then you prolly already know this, but just in case...
They are going to be emailing everyone who subbed with feedback on their submission over the next few days and they've got another submission window open to everyone starting on Monday so don't give up too soon! Finish polishing a different manuscript ready to sub to them next week then be prepared to take on their feedback on your manuscript, act on it, edit and try somewhere else... it's not often that you get feedback on your submission from a publisher so grab this opportunity with both hands!
This is copied and pasted from the email they sent to everyone yesterday:
It's a 6 week long submission window so take your time to get it right first. Don't give up and don't rush it, but get that editing hat on and really focus on getting everything as right as possible ready for the next submission window!
They are going to be emailing everyone who subbed with feedback on their submission over the next few days and they've got another submission window open to everyone starting on Monday so don't give up too soon! Finish polishing a different manuscript ready to sub to them next week then be prepared to take on their feedback on your manuscript, act on it, edit and try somewhere else... it's not often that you get feedback on your submission from a publisher so grab this opportunity with both hands!
This is copied and pasted from the email they sent to everyone yesterday:
Our next submission window is opening soon!
From
the 13th of August - the 30th of September our submissions will be open
to EVERYONE. Anyone who has written a book for children and Young
Adults is free to submit their writing during this window, using the
guidelines on the 'Submissions' section of our website.
We look forward to seeing what you've got to share with us!
Tuesday, 7 August 2018
Oh dear, I seem to have caused...
It was a simple question - how do you spell the female version of vampire. Nothing more, nothing less and 2 people have been arguing on my Twitter feed with each other about if it should be vampiresse or just plain vampire.
I honestly didn't mean to cause the argument, I just wanted to be sure of my spelling in the first draft of my WIP but a couple of people are at each others throats about it now!
Woops!
Sorry everyone!
I honestly didn't mean to cause the argument, I just wanted to be sure of my spelling in the first draft of my WIP but a couple of people are at each others throats about it now!
Woops!
Sorry everyone!
Book review: Don't let me go by Jamila Mikhail
⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5
This is a good book, but the spelling mistakes of certain words and occasional "you what?" bits due to the author obviously thinking of one way to write the sentence then changing her mind part way through and instead of deleting the part she wants to re-word, the author has just gone on to the new version part way through the sentence.
It was a bit weird with it being in first person for a couple of chapters but when I got into the book I got used to it and didn't think any more of it.
The author has really put a creative spin on how a teen really does feel. Buy this book, as long as you can skip over the errors in it.
It was a bit weird with it being in first person for a couple of chapters but when I got into the book I got used to it and didn't think any more of it.
The author has really put a creative spin on how a teen really does feel. Buy this book, as long as you can skip over the errors in it.
Monday, 6 August 2018
First chapter is always the hardest
Just finished the first chapter which is always the hardest for me to write, so I've just got 49 chapters at 1500 words each to write and it's finito.
It definitely helps to have the scenes within each chapter planned out, especially the first and last few chapters, but I obviously planned this one before I understood how scenes work and I really appreciate being able to write according to a tight plan now!
Twas difficult at first, but it's so much easier to write 250-500 words (depending on the type of book) for each scene and not forget anything, than planning the whole chapter in a sentence then totally forget about something vital until several chapters too late like I did before I discovered yWriter and especially now that I understand the scene planning!
It definitely helps to have the scenes within each chapter planned out, especially the first and last few chapters, but I obviously planned this one before I understood how scenes work and I really appreciate being able to write according to a tight plan now!
Twas difficult at first, but it's so much easier to write 250-500 words (depending on the type of book) for each scene and not forget anything, than planning the whole chapter in a sentence then totally forget about something vital until several chapters too late like I did before I discovered yWriter and especially now that I understand the scene planning!
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