Writing Tips: Critique Partners

Hey there readers! Life, as usual, is crazy in Casa Murillo and my blog has once again suffered for it. But I had a pretty interesting topic in mind for today that I wanted to write about so let's dive in!

Recently I posted an "ad," if you will, on the website howaboutwecp. This website is dedicated to making matches for writers in need of critique partners. I didn't hear anything back for a while and then this past weekend I received two emails asking if I was still interested in doing this. I was and I was thrilled! 

Let me just start by saying that when I posted that ad, I was soooooo nervous. I'd never critiqued anyone else's work before and never had anyone other than my sister read my own stories. Yes you read that right. Not even my husband has read my MSs! (he's not a reader AT ALL so I can't really trust his judgement anyway. But he WILL read them if/when I get published (;   ). 

As someone who researches EVERY aspect of writing and publishing, I know having critique partners is not only necessary but also invaluable to the creative and editing process. I was never against having critique partners but I was scared of putting myself out there. What if my writing sucked? For some reason it was just easier for me to edit to the best of my ability and send out queries. I standard 'no' from an agent was safer than detailed feedback from a critique partner. But then those 'nos' kept coming and eventually I wanted to know WHY?! What was I doing wrong?! Well, that's where those critique partners will come in handy. So after shelving my first MS (I'd had some interest but ultimately the market is too saturated with books with paranormal creatures and mine has faeries) I wrote another book, put my info up on howaboutwecp, and sent out my first batch of queries on my new MS. I've had some interest which is great but I really want this book to be 'the one' so I couldn't be happier that I now have two critique partners who can help me make this story the best it can be. 

My first critique partner sent her first chapter over this past weekend and I critiqued it and sent it back yesterday. I was nervous about this aspect of the story swapping process since I don't consider myself an expert on writing. But I do read A LOT so I ended up having more insight than I thought. Plus, I've always been pretty good at editing and with the added research and practice in editing I've gotten in my own writing endeavors, I was able to offer up a lot of tips in that area that were hopefully helpful. I really like her WIP and hope she lets me read some more (: And I'm excited to hear back from her and see what she thinks about my chapters too. My other new critique partner and I are going to be swapping MSs pretty soon as well and I can't tell you how excited I am for that!

Thanks for stopping by. Once this process really gets underway for me I will update you on how my critique partners and I are faring. See you soon!!






For me, writing is very personal. I often compare the feeling of talking about my stories and sharing them with others to what I imagine it would feel like to talk to strangers naked. I know, that's extreme, but letting someone inside your head is deeply intimate for me. It's something I know I need to overcome if I ever want to be a published author.

Writing Tips: Pitches Part II

In honor of #Pitmad, the "After the Madness Twitter Pitch Party" coming up on Twitter on September 12 (Check out author Brenda Drake's blog for more details), I thought I would do a quick post about pitches in general. 

Pitching is something all new writers are faced with at some point. If you attend a writer's conference and want to get some face time with an agent or editor and tell them about your book, chances are they are going to want you to pitch it to them. This means they want a (usually) one sentence blurb about your book (aka, an "elevator" pitch). One sentence! you say. That's impossible--my book has several characters, a plot, some subplots, lots of twists and turns and a surprise ending--there's no way I can sum it all up in one sentence! Well, too bad. That's what agents and editors want and if you can't do it, you might lose your chance with said agent or editor. Part of being a good writer is good writing of course but it's also the ability to sum up your book enticingly, market it, and promote it. If you can't do those things then it makes people in the book publishing industry a little wary. 

Sometimes pitching can be more than one sentence, thought. When it comes to contests, whether they be on blogs or agency/publishing websites, the rules always vary. I've entered three paragraph, one paragraph, three sentences, and even five word pitches! It all just depends. Whatever the length of the pitch is, you have to be able to decide what the most important aspect of your books is, get it into the required pitch space, and make it not only grammatically correct but also enticing. Your pitch needs to grab the reader and make them want to buy and read you book. 

Sometimes pitches can be like movie posters, too. For example, the pitch for JAWS 2 was: Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water... 

And sometimes pitches can be comparisons like, MEAN GIRLS meets THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. 

Twitter pitches, however, are a whole other game. When agents want you to pitch on Twitter they usually want you to use a hashtag and include the genre and audience of your book. Well Twitter only gives you 140 characters to work with so you have to be able to fit a very short pitch in to whatever space is leftover after you fill in your hashtag and genre/audience info. I did a Twitter pitch recently and it wasn't easy! I was able to find a few different ways to sum up my novel that enticed from a couple of different angles of what my MS is about. One or two of those tweets were a success, getting "favorited" by a literary agency assistant and a couple of editors for small publishing houses. When that happens whoever favorites your tweet wants you to send your query to them referencing the Twitter pitch. 

Whatever way you decide to pitch your book, I wish you luck. Pitches are scary and thrilling and challenging all at once! I hate coming up with them but I love when they work. I've heard many seasoned writers and agents out there say more than once that it takes many different skill sets to be a good writer. You have to be able to write a book, a query, a synopsis, a pitch, and a proposal and they all are incredible different from one another. But with practice, patience and the support of the many wonderful people in the writing community, you can you get through it.

Thanks for reading! Comment away..

Writing Tips: Present Tense vs. Past Tense

Writing is a craft--one that I am new to. I'm constantly learning new things as I read and research. Something that came to my attention recently is the emerging trend of present tense in YA books. I read an interview with the brilliant author Beth Revis where they asked her why she wrote her Across the Universe trilogy in present tense. She said she didn't even realize she had until about 50 pages into her manuscript when she accidentally typed in "said" instead of "say." Revis didn't even like present tense stories but when she discovered she was writing her WIP in just this way she decided to just go with it. She felt it was how her story needed to be told and how her characters wanted her to tell it.

This got me to thinking about my own manuscript, I am Caraway. For the first time it occurred to me that I too had written a present tense story. Like Revis, I didn't set out intending to write it that way--it was an unconscience choice. Cara, my main character, took my hand and pulled me back in time. I saw her life as she lived it and related her story in just that way.

Naturally, I started doing some more research on the topic of tenses. What I found is that there is a big line of division on how people feel about past tense vs. present tense. Those who hate present tense argue that it's a trend spurred by The Hunger Games and more common (and better suited for) dystopian novels and the occasional paranormal or fantasy. They argue that present tense is unnecessary and the story can be told just as good or better in the past tense. They say present tense is obvious and distracting and the tense of a story should never be either of those things. While I'm still undecided on how I feel about which tense is better, I do agree with the last part of that statement. When a book is good and the writing is done well you should never notice the tense. The POV, yes, but never the tense. 

Then there are those that love present tense. They feel that it adds a sense of immediacy to the story and allows the reader to experience everything through the main character's eyes. They feel like they are right there living the action and can get to know the main characters better in this tense than they would with past tense. I even saw a comment on how present tense has the power to completely make or break a story. When done right, it's great. When done wrong, it can ruin a book. No other tense has that power.

Ok so here's where I panicked. What if my novel was ruined by present tense? What if Cara's story could've been told better in past tense? What if no one wants to represent me or publish my book because they think I got the tense wrong or just don't like present tense? I sat for a while and considered doing a major overhaul to my manuscript and telling Cara's story in past tense. Ultimately, I decided to leave it be. This was how Cara's story unfolded in my head. This was how it came out and this was how it needed to stay. I can't imagine telling it any other way and I'm not sure I even could without completely messing it up. I poured my heart and soul into this novel and I'm happy with the end result. Would I re-do it if an agent or editor asked me to? Probably. That's the nature of the business and I'm by no means an expert. If someone who knows better says Cara's story would be stronger told in past tense, I would definitely give it a try. I want to share my novel with the world and let everyone get to know and love my characters as I do. But more importantly, I want to keep improving as a writer. And I'll do whatever it takes to achieve that.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses in everything we do in life. Authors are no different. I've only ever written the one novel so I can't say exactly where all my strengths lie but I do know one of them is in first person present. When I get an idea for a story the characters get into my head and drag me to my computer and give me little say over what's going to happen. It happened that way with I am Caraway and it's happening again with my current WIP. My characters decide what to do, where to go, what to say, and how to say it. I never know all the details (which I kind of like). But that's just me. Other writers get an idea for a story and have to sit down and outline and decide on tense and POV, plot and sub-plot and everything else. We all work differently. Hopefully though, the end result is the same thing--a good story with good writing. That's all any of us want to do. Tell you a great story in the best way possible.


Here are a few articles I came across in my research. Enjoy!

http://www.hbook.com/2011/12/opinion/present-tensions-or-its-all-happening-now/

http://howtowriteshop.loridevoti.com/2013/03/present-tense-vs-past-tense-in-young-adult-novels/

http://writingteennovels.com/2013/04/04/first-person-present-tense-narration-in-teen-novels-by-beth-revis/



Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow!

Writing Tips: Synopsis

Oh the dreaded synopsis. I'll admit, when I was compiling a list of the top 5 agents I wanted to query part of my decision making process was eliminating (for now) the ones that wanted a synopsis. I was having a hard enough time editing my manuscript, getting my word count down, and drafting the query letter--I wasn't ready to take on another task that everyone said was really hard. Once I got the aforementioned completed, I started researching what a synopsis was. I knew I'd have to do one at some point so may as well get it over with. Here's what I learned:

Basically a synopsis is a one page (can be more--depends on the agent/editor) overview of all the major plot points and characters of your manuscript. You don't have to worry about getting it in the right voice--in fact, the dryer the better. And you don't want to be vague. Agents and editors want to see that you can properly develop and tell a story from start to finish. That's right, you need to put in your synopsis how your story ends. Put characters names in ALL CAPS on the first mention, tell the setting, and make sure to name your stakes. They need to see what motivates your main character to do what they do. Only put sub plots in if they drive the main plot and keep your minor character mentions down to around 5. 

Sounds simple, right? You'd be surprised at how hard this actually is. Surprisingly, I had an easier time with the synopsis than I did the query. The dry, tell it like it is formula of the synopsis was easier for me to do than the voice-filled, give them some but leave them wanting more approach of the query.  

Here are some websites that helped me craft my synopsis:

http://www.publishingcrawl.com/2012/04/17/how-to-write-a-1-page-synopsis/

http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-write-synopsis.html

http://writerunboxed.com/2012/02/27/untitled-2-27/

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2007/08/how-to-write-synopsis.html

http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/submissions/anatomy-of-a-synopsis/

Well, that's all for today! Thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment below. See you back here tomorrow!

Writing Tips: Query Letters

If you read my post on Wednesday you'll know I've been hard at work fixing some minor plot holes in my manuscript. Well I'm happy to report that they are now fixed! Where this all started though, was with my query letter. I called my brother-n-law (the writer/director) and asked him his opinion on two different queries I was considering submitting. We settled on one which we thought fit the tone of my story better. I gave him a run down of the plot, characters, etc. so he could get the right idea of what I was trying to say. That's when we discovered the plot holes. He started asking me questions that, if he were an agent, I wouldn't have been able to answer. So I made note to fix the holes then we focused on what should be in the query. He gave great advice, telling me to really hook with the first paragraph and helping me decide what was important enough to be in the query and what I should leave out. Something he said that really caught my attention was that I needed to use active verbs. Most of my verbs were passive. All in all, he helped me shape a much better query letter which is why I decided to do this post today. It's fresh on my mind--I spent a lot of time yesterday researching successful query letters and reading websites with helpful advice. So I'm going to post some great links that will hopefully help you as much as they helped me. Most of what I cover below will be expanded on in those links.

First let me start by saying that whenever you are ready to submit, make sure you research each agent and tailor your letter to his/her likes and guidelines. Address the query to that specific agent, using a "Dear Mr./Ms." format. Make sure you get their gender and the spelling of their name right! Your research will tell you how long they like the queries to be and how many pages, if any, they want you to include. Every agent I have researched has said DO NOT attach the pages of your manuscript to the email. Always paste into the body. If they say this, please follow. They will not open the attachment. Some agents will want you to include a synopsis with the query, some will want a marketing plan, some only prefer snail mail or email queries (check how they want those snail mail and email queries addressed/subjected/sent to). No matter what, DO YOUR RESEARCH! 

There really is no exact formula or right way to do a query. The tone of it should match your novel and it should include the plot, the major character(s), the conflict, and setting. Make sure you put the title in ALL CAPS and include the genre and word count. And give details. You don't have to reveal all major plot points but be sure to include the relevant ones that move the story along. You want to leave the agent wanting more but you don't want to be vague. The query should read like a book jacket. Think about what makes you want to buy a book or check it out at the library. And put yourself in the agent's shoes. What would make you want to keep reading this query and later the novel and what would make you hit "Delete."

Other do's and don'ts:
Do include a paragraph with your writing credentials/why you are qualified to write this story.
Don't make grandiose claims: "This book is the next Twilight!"
Do use the spell checker!
Don't go over one page (unless the agent says this is OK)
Do include your contact information (name, address, telephone, email)
Don't include links to your blog/website
Do paste only the number of pages they say to include but
Don't cut off in the middle of a sentence. Stop at the end of the nearest page/chapter.

Now here are the links to the websites that have helped me:

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/  **Look through his list of post links on the side that relate to queries.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/successful-queries   **Scroll through to find ones that match your genre.

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/successful-query-letters-for-literary-agents_b62590  **Scroll through and click on the ones that match your genre.

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/query-letters-and-examples/

http://thegracefuldoe.wordpress.com/helpful-writing-sites-blog-posts-masterlist/pitchesqueries/  **This one's really comprehensive with lots of links. Plan to spend some time here.

And lastly, Agent Query Connect has a forum where members can go and share their successful queries. Here's the link: http://agentqueryconnect.com/ Scroll about halfway down and you'll see their "AQ Connect-Examples of Successful Queries" link. This one's great because you can see a lot of recent winners.

Well, that's all for today. Hope this was helpful--I know these links have been great resources for me. As always, thanks for stopping by and feel free to comment below and let me know what you think!

Writing Tips: YA Word Counts

Alright, so I am by no means a writing expert. This is all very new to me. I am constantly reading other blogs, looking up articles, and clicking on links in tweets by actual experts on how to improve my craft. My hope is that as time goes by, I will be able to give some valuable tips of my own. But for now I am OK sharing with you what I have found elsewhere and adding in my own thoughts and experiences. Today's topic: YA word counts. 

Chuck Sambuchino is an industry leader in the world of writing and publishing. I follow him on twitter and Writer's Digest is always tweeting links to his columns. Here's what he says:

"Perhaps more than any other, YA is the one category where word count is very flexible.

For starters, 55,000 – 69,999 is a great range. 

The word round the agent blogosphere is that these books tend to trending longer, saying that you can top in the 80Ks. However, this progression is still in motion and, personally, I’m not sure about this. I would say you’re playing with fire the higher you go.  When it gets into the 70s, you may be all right—but you have to have a reason for going that high. Again, higher word counts usually mean that the writer does not know how to edit themselves.

A good reason to have a longer YA novel that tops out at the high end of the scale is if it’s science fiction or fantasy. Once again, these categories are expected to be a little longer because of the world-building.

Concerning the low end, below 55K could be all right but I wouldn’t drop much below about 47K."

**To read this full article on Writer's Digest click here: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/word-count-for-novels-and-childrens-books-the-definitive-post

I have to agree with Mr. Sambuchino. Most books in the YA genre tend to be in those ranges. I also agree that books are trending longer. Writers are finding that teens like smart, well written stories and bigger books don't necessarily scare them away. Personally, I don't ever remember a time in my life when I didn't want to read something because it was "too long." Maybe that's just me but if the story looks interesting, I will read it.


Here's a great site where you can compare your YA WIP to others in your genre: http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp

This one was really helpful to me. I looked up some YA historical fantasy novels (since that's what my manuscript is) and compared my word count to theirs. What I found (besides some comfort in where my word count is) was that most of the recently released, popular YA books are closer to 90k. Many are over 100k. There are some that are even higher. 
My YA novel started out WAY too long and as a first time writer I really had no clue about word counts until I started researching them. (Thank you Writers Digest for a tweet on word counts because otherwise I wouldn't have known!) I thought my novel was great the way it was. So when I read that long word counts tended to happen to first time authors who didn't know how to edit, I was like: "Um I have edited and it's still that high so that's just how long it needs to be." I didn't think I could cut anything out without losing character development, world building, or other important story elements. So I did some more research thinking that surely there were lots of exceptions of first time writers being published when their novels were higher than the acceptable word count for their genre. I thought if they got published then maybe I can too. As it turns out, there aren't many exceptions. And you shouldn't assume your novel is so good that you'll be one. Publishers spend a lot of money printing and marketing books so if you don't have the credentials to back up the risk they would be taking on you then they will tell the agent representing your book "no thanks." It's all about the money and publishers want to spend as little as possible and get as much in profit as they can. Agents get a cut of that money too and they don't want to take on a book that's too long if no publisher will want to buy it. Most agents won't even look at your manuscript if your word count isn't what they deem acceptable. They have tons of queries and manuscripts they are going through everyday so high word counts are an easy way for them to cut through the slush pile. So with all this in mind, I decided to get down to business. I want my book to get published so I am willing to do whatever it takes. I read through my manuscript about 5 more times with my only focus being getting rid of what was unnecessary. Guess what? I was able to cut out 39k words (yeah, it was that long). And doing so didn't cause me to lose anything important to my story. In fact, it only made it better. And I became a better writer in the process. *sidenote of thanks to my sister for reading my manuscript before those cuts!*

A final website I found useful and I go to a lot is Jessica Khoury's website. She's the author of the YA book Origin. The book, and the woman, are awesome. I saw Jessica on tour in Austin and I was blown away by her intelligence. Her blog has an article on YA word counts and a list of popular YA titles with their counts. I like how she compares two of the Harry Potters to show that word counts can go up once you've established yourself as an author. Here's the link to her post: http://jnkhoury.blogspot.com/2012/01/list-of-popular-ya-novels-word-counts.html
Well, that's all. Thanks for reading! Hope this helps (: