A Question of Intense Interest

I was not sure if I was going to write or not today, considering my mind is still in query mush mode, but then I came across some tweets from yesterday that got my mind going and I felt the need to post.

I was going to apologize for sharing this personal information with you, but in all retrospect, I don't feel sorry about it. I can't help who I am, and I rather like who I've become as a result of it. Please note however that I am not looking for sympathy, I am just looking for an answer.

That being said...

Through a series of agent posts I noticed a couple (unnamed) agents saying they wish they would see more books about children/teens with mental illnesses and psychological disorders.

This struck me as odd.

As a person with a very serious (and unfortunately misdiagnosed through most of my life) mental illness myself, I don't understand the intrigue. Growing up with bipolar disorder was difficult and depressing, especially as it went untreated until I was 17, then mistreated until I was 26. I've lived a life of making poor and irrational decisions while on highs and lows. Decisions that have left me with a world of messes to clean up as an adult.

To make matters worse, this disease is genetic, leaving me feeling incredibly guilty about my 7 year old son who was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder as well. Watching him is heart breaking and a nightmare. It reminds me of things I felt when I was young and as a parent makes me feel terribly helpless.

So my question is, why would people want to read about any of this? What would be entertaining about reading the experiences of a child struggling with depression?

Do you understand the intrigue? Would it interest you to read a book of this nature?

Even I have Goals!!!

It looks to me like everyone is coming up with lists of goals as 2009 draws to an end. I simmered on this for a moment, considered whether or not I should do it myself. I mean I'm not much for following trends, BUT then I decided to go with the flow. It sounded fun enough!

So here we have it kids.

Poppins 2010 Goals

1. Consider giving up dairy. I feel that as long as I am giving it consideration I am making a large step forward. Maybe next year I'll actually do it. But I really like cheese!


2. Acquire more gnomes. I have come to the heart felt decision that 4 gnomes and 2 gnome pictures are not NEARLY enough for a Gnome Connoisseur like me. (That's right! I no longer feel that the term 'Gnome Lover' applies to me! I'm SO much more than that!)

OMG Someone PLEASE make me some of these!!!

3. Stay free and clear from #blogwars! While at the very same time making sure to enjoy every moment of them. (Now this is going to be more difficult than one might expect. I have to watch my P's and Q's and make sure to NOT AT ANY TIME let anything embarrassing about me slip. I'm really good at embarrassing myself on this blog so it's going to be quite the challenge!)

4. Finish editing my book, write a KILLER query, score a perfect agent and sign for an awesome book deal with a HUGE publishing house. It can happen...you just wait and see!

5. Go to the movies ... a lot ... this is going to be one of the best movie years EVER! Percy Jackson, Toy Story 3, Eclipse, The Deathly Hallows, Shrek 4 ... and seriously the list goes on. I'm stoked!


6. Get a second car. I'm hoping this can be accomplished after I complete number 4. I'd REALLY like a mini van with a DVD player and heated seats. Is that really too much to ask for?

7. Have fun with my blog and remember it's not about how many followers you have, it's about how many of those follower love you! (Luckily for me ALL of my followers love me ... right? Right! RIGHT?!?!)

8. Continue building awesome relationships with all you awesome bloggers and writers and mommies. You guys have truly made 2009 one of the best years ever! I'm in love with each and every one of you. But I'm sorry, I'm married. So I'm going to have to keep our love at bay.

9. Find new and innovative ways to waste time and/or keep up my obsessions with twitter and Facebook. (Easiest goal to obtain EVER!)


10. Be me .... um ... or figure out who me is. That might be a better start.

So what are your goals for 2010? Has 2009 been good to you?

Recomendations and Agents

Husband Poppins My dear loyal and absolutely devoted, not to mention handsome husband (Is that better dear?) and I got in a chat about recommendations. He's big into Linked In. I like the site too, though it's not twitter. (Just sayin...)

On Linked In you put your resume up and connect with former/current employers and/or employees and/or co-workers. As you connect you are able to leave each other recommendations (As long as you have worked together in the past) and boost one another's credibility. It's an awesome feature and I don't doubt it helps in the hiring process.

Our conversation began when we started talking about agents I like and how I know some of their clients via blogging/twitter.

He said, "You should get recommendations!"

Now I think this a great idea, but I felt like 'eh'.

I explained that to me it seems like an unspoken rule between writers that we don't cross that boundary. Kinda like the unspoken rule that you never date your best friends ex. Or the one where it is mandatory to tell a good friend that they have food in their teeth.

Nobody flat out makes these rules, they are just kinda there.

OR maybe it's just me. I love my bloggy friends! I would never want them to think I am stalking following them just to earn me some recommendations. That is totally NOT the reason I stalk follow/read my favorite blogs and chat it up with my twitter folk! (Now in twitter language would that be Twolk? I'm totally trade marking that one!)

So what are your thoughts? Would you ask a friend for a recommendation before you queried their agent? If you have an agent, have you ever had anyone/everyone ask for a recommendation?

Please share your feelings. I am incredibly curious! (And I'd love to prove to the man that I am right about my unspoken rule that I may or may not have created all on my own)

I Had a Dream!

Not the MLK kinda dream...but it was foretelling (I hope) just like his.

I had a dream that the woman who has my manuscript wanted to represent me. Although in the process she also wanted me to cut out my first 2 chapters and re-write half the book. But Representation nonetheless!

Does that worry you? Do you fear your book being completely altered once you have scored that long awaited agent? Do you fear it will become unrecognizable? Will it be worth it?

What is your stance on this? Or am I just completely over exaggerating the process?

~~~

As I am pressed for time today due to a class field trip (in the rain...oh joy!) I am postponing the contest results by one day, as am I postponing the next 3 Gnome Award Winners. Tune in tomorrow for your winner and their prize!!!

Feeling Victorious!

I only wish it was because I had gotten "The Call" from an agent as my awesome fellow Blogger Jody Hedlund did yesterday. (Congrats Jody!!!) BUT I still made it over a large hurdle. I have perfected my query letter...and I LOVE IT! That in itself is immensely victorious!

So here is how I am feeling right now....



My head is spinning and moving at light speed. All I can think about is which agents to query and how to find them and how many agents I should send it to and and and and... I am feeling super light headed (possibly because I am hungry though...tough call there) and I am beyond euphoric.

Have I gone crazy? How did you feel when you pushed out the query letter that made you jump with excitement?

***Are you scared of how I'll react when I do get "The Call"? Because I am!!!***

**UPDATE! Got first FULL Manuscript request!***

I now KNOW How Long is Too Long! (For a query letter of course!)

After participating in Nathan Bransford's Agent for a Day Contest, I have found an answer to one of my Previous Blogs... "How Long is TOO Long? Why writing a Query Letter can be so Frustrating!" There is something about reading 50 Random Query Letters that brings a little perspective to writing one yourself. Here are some key things I learned this morning....

1.) Short and Sweet = Sure to be read, not skimmed over!

Some of the query letters were SO long and over descriptive that it took everything in me to read through to the end. I was excited when I came across a query which was only a few paragraphs.
***Note! Not to be confused with queries that had TONS of missing info.***

2.) Know WHEN to just stop talking!

I'd get hooked on the first paragraph, then they'd try to elaborate, and I would lose all interest. If your one paragraph can hook a reader...seriously...just STOP TALKNG!!! ( I know that sounds harsh, and who am I to judge, but please keep in mind I just read 50 Query Letters in 3 hours!)

3.) If you have a query, it really doesn't matter how long or short your query is. If you've got a good story, it will hook someone. Which brings me to 4.

4.) You aren't going to hook EVERY agent, but that doesn't mean you won't hook ANY of them.

I read through a bunch of the comments as well. One thing that was consistent throughout ALL of them was this- Everyone likes something different. With over 200 Agents for the Day, not many of them picked the 5 same books. Lesson: Just because one agent rejects you, it does not mean they ALL will reject you.

If you haven't had a chance to check out this contest, even if just to read through the queries and some of the comments. I highly suggest you do so.

If you HAVE had a chance to check it out....what did you think of it? Did you find it resourceful or just redundant? Tell me how you felt!

How Long is TOO Long? Why writing a Query Letter can be so Frustrating!

Where less is more and more is less, is there a middle ground? When writing a query letter, how much of the plot do you really need to expose? Will your synopsis measure up enough to get a request for a partial?

I can honestly say I do NOT find the actual writing of a novel to be the hardest part. Although it is difficult to sit down and come up with a beginning, middle and end to a well written book, it pales in comparison to the actual writing of the query letter. Imagine for a moment, taking an 80,000 word story, and being told that you are only allowed to use about 500 words to explain the entire work of literature. Does anyone else see how this appears to be almost virtually impossible!?!? And this is not the end to the insanity.

Not only do you need to figure out how to insanely condense your hard work into an email or letter, but now you must decide which portions of the story are relevant and important enough to capture your readers attention. Are you merely looking to dangle a tiny piece of steak in front of a starving dog, leaving them with just enough to want more? Or do you want to just throw them the bone, the major piece that holds the steak together and smells of what they want, but leaves off all the beef making them NEED that sustenance? And let's face it, we could always just throw them the whole dang steak and hope it tastes sufficient enough to want the entire cow?

Therein lies the question, how long is too long? Is more less or is less more? And if that wasn't enough to make you lose your mind and consider maybe this novel is not worth the hassle, the process only becomes increasingly complicated.

EACH individual Agent is different. Each has their own guidelines about formatting and grammar. Each has their own style, their own represented genre, and their own preferences about how many credentials you have. There is not going to be just ONE query letter you are writing for this ONE novel. Instead there will be ONE query letter specifically written for EACH agent. What? You had not even considered researching your agents? You were planning on just sending out a "generic form" query letter and hoping one bites? OH! Well I hope you are planning on getting ONE "generic form" rejection letter from EACH Agent as well.

This is the life of a writer my friends. Maybe after reading this you think I am insane and surely I should give up. But maybe, JUST MAYBE, I do believe my novel will capture the eyes of even ONE Agent. It is possible I believe that by writing NUMEROUS query letters, and exposing a different amount of my plot to each Agent, ONE will bite and be as excited about my story as I have become. I may not know the answer to "How long is too long?", but I can assure that I fully intend to find out!

Lesson of the day kids, don't give up because something sounds impossible. If you believe in it....it will become possible! Will MY synopsis measure up? Well I can assure I refuse to discontinue my efforts until it has.

Ok, enough with the speeches and back to the editing... Have I mentioned how frustrating editing is yet???