Monday Update on Tuesday :o

My apologies to everyone for skipping yesterday's post!  To tell you the truth, I skipped it because I didn't really feel like updating all of you on my failures.  But I've had a day to wallow in despair and I've decided that if I'm going to bother to have a Monday Update at all, I have to let you know about the disappointing stuff, too.

ELEMENTAL


After giving Matthew Rush and all of his followers a look at my query and revising it to a sparkly shine, I decided now was the time to take the plunge and send it out.  So far, after sending it out to nine agents, I've received four form rejections.  Out of the remaining five, I'm considering one of them a rejection because according to Literary Rambles, he responds within a day or two, but also according to the Publisher's Marketplace, he claims he can't always get back to everyone.  And I've been waiting for more than two days.  Sigh.

Before sending out my query, I happened to win Shannon Whitney Messenger's awesome first chapter critique giveaway!  Okay, so maybe all of my news isn't disappointing.  This was actually quite exciting!  And after getting some really great advice, I did some tweaking and I think the beginning is a lot smoother.  I will admit I was a tad stupid before this critique and didn't listen to my beta as much as I should have.  Let this be a lesson to you: your betas know what they're talking about!

However, as you might imagine, after receiving nothing but form rejections, I was getting a little upset.  I knew I wasn't about to write a better query.  So, I automatically assumed that of course my sample pages were just crap and this is why I was getting nothing but form.  However, I stumbled upon a great post about the many reasons agents reject that really lifted my spirits.  So, I sent out my query to my dream agent, hoping for the best.

HANSEL AND GRETEL


I've been writing sporadically on this.  I started out really great, but pretty much fizzled at chapter 5.  I can't seem to get past a certain point.  Plus, my husband's work schedule has changed and it's been messing with my alloted writing time.  I'm a creature of habit and my muse refuses to meet me at a time other than our appointed schedule.  So, sadly, I'm stuck around 12,000 words.  It's felt like trying to squeeze a marshmallow through a straw.  The marshmallow gives, but not quite enough to get through.

I'm going to lock myself in my bedroom today and force myself to get through this chapter, if it's the last thing I do!  *shakes fist*

Well, that's it.  My sad little writing career.  How are you guys doing?  A lot better than me, I hope.

~Emily White

Monday Update

I mentioned on Saturday that I officially entered first draft writing mode on Friday!  Whoo hoo!  Like I said before, that essentially means I'm back to writing one chapter a day (aka very little brain activity left for other things).  But don't worry, I still intend on blogging!  Unlike the last time where I took a couple weeks off.

So let me give you a rundown on where I am on everything:

ELEMENTAL:


I'm working on my query letter at this point and have it out with my beta and a very trusted fellow writer some of you may know--Matthew Rush.  If you haven't visited (and started following) his blog, The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment, I suggest you do so today.  He's been showing all of us his query writing journey as well as examples of some absolutely stellar queries from other authors that got those much anticipated and hoped for requests.

I've also purchased Elana Johnson's From the Query to the Call and have rewritten my query based on her amazing advice.

So, as you can see, my query is in good hands at the moment.

HANSEL AND GRETEL:

Officially started!  I toyed around with it when I first completed my first draft on ELEMENTAL, but with edits coming to a close on that work, HANSEL AND GRETEL has now jumped up to the top of my writing list.

After working on it for two days (I always take Sundays off), I'm already well into chapter three.  At this rate, I'm hoping to be done with it in no more than six weeks.

Wish me luck!

Fairy Tale Blogfest/Contest:

One week away!  That's right!  Next Monday is the BIG DAY!  Are you ready?  Don't worry.  I plan on reminding you every. single. day.

In fact, if you haven't even signed up, you can do so here.  There are some awesome prizes you just don't want to miss out on.

My beta--Victoria Caswell (aka aspiring_x):

She is having the coolest blogging week ever!

Today she's talking about music and writing, tomorrow is all about character theme songs, Wednesday is soundtracking your novel, Thursday is all about Not Without Grace (her go-to-writing-music band), AND Friday she will be interviewing Chris Franzen from that very band!!!  Amazing!



So how are you guys doing with your WIPs?  Still plugging forward?  Any requests out there?

~Emily White

Saturday Fun Time! Sebastian's Tunes!

I officially started first draft writing mode yesterday!  For all of my new followers and those who may not remember, that essentially means I'm back to being a brain dead zombie (i.e. writing a chapter a day).

When writing like this I have to, and I mean I HAVE TO listen to music.  I took a couple minutes to think of what would be exactly right and realized Sebastian (the MC of Hansel and Gretel) loves listening to Linkin Park and Muse.  So, in honor of him, I'm going to post a video from each band.

Linkin Park:



Muse:




Yeah, I listened to these two songs a few times yesterday.  Sebastian was happy.

Don't forget to sign up for the Fairy Tale Blogfest by clicking that pretty little picture in the sidebar to the right! Less than ten days to go!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

~Emily White

A Little Tease

I know I'm supposed to be talking about myself today because it's technically my About Me day, but honestly, there's not a whole lot of interesting things about me to include every week. I'm a rather boring person when you get right down to it. So I'm at a loss today.

Instead, I've decided to post the first page of my new WIP, Hansel and Gretel. Obviously this is a rough draft, so be warned.

If there was anything more depressing than leaving white sandy beaches against a crystal blue ocean for the boondock plains of Hansel Valley, Utah, I didn’t know it. After saying goodbye to all my friends and boarding a plane for Salt Lake City, I didn’t think it could get any worse. And then my dad declared he wanted to take the scenic route around the lake to our new home. Like I wanted to be stuck in a car for god knows how long with my mom and sister jabbering away at what a great opportunity this was for all of us.

Great opportunity for them maybe, but I’d long ago stopped counting in my family. Dad was the successful photographer, mom the flighty homemaker who decided each year she was going to start working outside the home only to quit a few weeks later (that she even got the gig with Gretel Industries International was a miracle), and my younger sister Jane, the genius. Literally. She was one of those superkids who could read at two and had the multiplication table memorized at three. I was still slurring through my ABC’s at four. In any other family, that would have been pretty good. In my family, it meant you’re a retard. Sorry, mentally challenged. The “R” word was forbidden in our house.