EA Blevins

Yes, yes, I know I haven't been reputably published. Sad, isn't it? I was thinking about it earlier. All this nice, fancy domain space and two dinky blips on my bibliography.

Well, I'm working on it. I could be working harder, but it's been difficult since we got Warcraft. Distractions. *shakes head* Anyway, Alex and I have been talking about getting me a laptop before I'm published, which would move my work station back to the living room and away from the "Warcrack" as Tom calls it. And I'd get back on track.

In the meantime, I'm going to try and make a list of agents to query for when my manuscript is edited.

I posted chapters 7-9 of the Isabelle story to my writing group, edited three chapters for someone else, and wrote a third-draft query letter.

Haven't gone through all of the critiques yet, because I want to look at them as an overall group once the whole story is posted.

Query letter is looking nice. Doesn't inspire feelings of hopelessness or terror.

I've gotten some critiques on chapters 1-3 of the Isabelle story, and I just posted 4-6. I plan to wait and edit after I get critiques on the whole thing, so I can prioritize changes -- and because I'd like to compare overall edits with the as-you-go edits and find the happy solution.

Also, I've learned that Word does some infuriating things if you double-space a 40+ page document. Very, very annoying.

If you've been reading my posts up until now, here are a few updates.

1) I never finished my dad's memoirs, so I still have those to take care of.

2) I joined a mailing list for Christian YA writers (which is not the same as the critique forum I joined but may be affiliated with it), where I get to critique other people's work and they get to critique mine. Because, obviously, I have too much time on my hands with my dad's unedited memoirs, daily character leveling on World of Warcraft, and massive guilt over neglecting the Sims 2 now that my 3GB of downloads have slowed the game to a crawl.

3) Chat regularly on IMVU, which shall be my official chatting device, because it reminds me of the Sims 2, which I haven't played because my 3GB of downloads have slowed the game to a crawl.

4) I am writing almost daily on my warcraft humor blog, Letters from Birdfall, where I vent about people who annoy me, give tips on how to find cute pets in-game, and report on the most recent news in pink clothing.

I think I should just go take a bath and read that non-teen novel I got from the library, thereby ignoring everything I need to do.

I joined a "Young Adult & Contemporary" critique group online. So far, it's pretty small, but I'm looking forward to it.

I also found a local writers' group that meets at the library in town. Monthly. Not even bi-monthly, which is what I was hoping for. And even though I can go in March, I'll be out of town in April. It seems more like a "sharing" group than a workshop, though -- so not quite as intense, and more likely to have people who are just there for the society.

Which is kind of annoying for those of us who actually like getting down and dirty into the writing and critiquing part. I'm actually really energized by a good, constructive critiquing session. And, no, that's not weird. For a writer, at least. For a normal person, yeah, maybe.

Anyway, we went to the library today and I got seven books and already finished one. I lurk almost exclusively in the young adult aisles in any bookstore or library, and all but one of my library books are for teens. I never really realized before that I'm writing something that I truly, fervently love. I mean, I've always been enthusiastic about teen novels, but I've been a little embarrassed, as well. It wasn't until this past year that I realized that I'm never going to outgrow them. There's just something so perfect about curling up in bed with a cat, a cup of tea with milk, and a book about a shy girl that gets the guy. (Yes, Tiger actually stayed on the bed with me! Woohoo!)

Two things:

1) I never thought I would be a "tea drinker" but my brother made me promise to try Earl Gray when I went to London for a semester. That tea didn't stick with me as much as the harder-to-find-in-America Prince of Wales tea, which I started drinking the summer before I got married -- I would make it late at night after my parents went to bed and drink it during the anime "Case Closed," and now I make it when I want to feel cozy and pampered. (I miss "Case Closed," by the way. That was an awesome anime.)

2) I prefer heroines who are like me, shy and overlooked but have secret inner lives that are pretty fun. Girls like us aren't the girls that boys date a lot -- but we are the girls that boys marry. I have a friend just like me in this: she hasn't had a boyfriend or been kissed, but all of our friends agree that she's "the kind of girl who gets married." Even I never dated anyone before I met my husband. I think it's because we know exactly what we want, and we're also pretty serious about love and aren't interested in dating casually. The idea of getting involved in a relationship isn't "fun" for us unless it has lasting potential.

Number two leads right into the book I just finished: Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman. The narrator is one of us background girls -- a little socially dowdy but with some rambunctious friends who liven up her life. Anyway, she likes the boy that her best friend gets "Enthusiastic" about and is too nice to say anything. It's very sweet. The guy in it reminds me of this popular guy I was friends with in high school, so it was a little surreal because of that sometimes, but it's all-around a cool read. ^_^

Other books that involve us socially dowdy girls are The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (warning! RMB is a fluffy adult romance with scenes your mother might not approve of!), and Teen Idol by Meg Cabot. Those are some of my favorite books ever, and I know it's because of how well I identify with the main characters. ^_^ Isn't it pleasant to know things like that?

I tried to start a query letter in my little yellow notepad last night after Bible study. It was awful. I mean, really, how hard should a little two-or-three-paragraph description of your book be? Not hard. Not hard at all.

Right? Right?! Well, it just goes to show you that writing is harder than it looks. You can read something and see how good it is and pick it apart, and say "I can do that, easy" but the truth is . . . no. No, it's not easy. And no, you can't do that any easier than anyone else. Even experienced writers still have to edit and struggle. I think experienced writers, by definition, aren't the ones who can write the easiest as much as the ones who understand how difficult writing can be, and who plod along anyway.

The more effortless a book looks, the more someone slaved to make it look that way. Same for query letters, I guess.

So I'm going to go slave over my finished rough draft. I marked it up and generally know what I need to do -- I just don't want to do it. I've been reading Meg Cabot's online diary instead. She's cool. Did you know that her cat broke her laptop, like Tiger broke mine? Her cat, Henrietta, knocked it off the bed. Tiger just tripped on the cord and yanked it off the couch. This should be a very valuable lesson in "Not Letting Cats Near Laptops." Alex might argue that I shouldn't have left it in such a precarious position, but since it was a cat that broke Meg Cabot's, I figure it's a kitty conspiracy. They just don't want us to write.

I finished the lengthiest part of writing -- the writing. Now all I have to do is edit, write a query, send out queries, get rejected, send out more queries, get rejected, get rejected, get rejected, get accepted, hassle over a contract, advertise my book with friends, family, and cheap online methods, then beg local bookstores to carry it and maybe even bring me in for a book signing, if it wouldn't be too much trouble.

Yeah. Done my cute, neurotic rear. I'm just halfway there.