Patience and a Writing tip

Um, okay. So i submitted The Price of Passion to embrace books and have patiently (read checked emails every day!) for the allotted 4-6 weeks for a reply. Yesterday was the end of 6 weeks....
Do i send an email and ask how they are going, will this garner an instant R? And if i do send an email WHAT DO I SAY?
I've always heard back within time frames so have never had this happen before! I'd love some advice.


Writing tip: Keep detailed notes.
Have you ever come across a story you are really enjoying and halfway through the hero has different coloured eyes?

I find it hard to keep track of small details like that, though not usually for the MC's!
On my christmas present laptop my husband installed microsoft office which has onenote. It has awesome pages and tabs great for organising my study notes, so i thought....why not use it for writing?
And it is fantastic! A new page for characters, plot etc, each with tabs within the page for different characters, key scenes....
It is making it so much easier to find things at a quick glance, rather than having to read through an entire word document for the bit I want!

So the tip this week, is to keep detailed notes that are quick to find!
Have a great day :)

I've hit send, again!

Not wanting to give up on Billie and Cooper i have just hit send to Embrace Books, an e-publisher, set up by Jane Holland, author.

Man, now i'm nervous! Counting down for six weeks now!!

Giving it another go!

So, despite getting that form R from SYTYCW, i am charging ahead and editing Billie and Cooper's story to try and make it "stronger". I may even consider either submitting it to Embrace Books, or Carina Press, two ebook publishers for consideration.
Or do as my friend Nicole did, and upload it to Amazon.

I just can't let this story go, and would love to have it out there for all to read!
Do you think i should just give it up?
I am working on two other ideas as well, so it's not like it's the only story in my gambit.

What would you do?

Submission result

Well, i opened my email this morning and there was an email from ucanwrite.
My heart stopped then sped up and i waited for oh, a whole five seconds before opening the email with bated breath - just maybe they'll have said they like it, or if not they like my voice and want to see something else...

but no:

Thanks so much for submitting the first chapter and synopsis of your story.  Our editors reviewed the submission with care.  Unfortunately your story was not strong enough for us to consider further.  Good luck with your future writing endeavors and thanks for entering our challenge!


:( It would have been nice to have gotten a bit of feedback on WHY it wasn't strong enough.
Maybe they don't  do that, but it is frustrating that i don't know what i did wrong so how can i stop from doing it again with another story?


Well, to any of you out there lucky enough to get a "we love it", congratulations!


I shall not give up, no siree. One rejection can not stop the need to write!

I've hit send!

For the final SYTYCW challenge, that is!
Man, i feel a tad sick and whole lotta nervous!! :D  Guaranteed to get a reply by Jan 31 2011.

Good luck to anyone out there with a submission. It is so nerve wracking. I've checked and re checked both synopsis and chapter 1 at least 10 times for spelling, missing words etc. But i bet i'll find more - so guess what? I'm not going to read those bits until i hear back!

And yep, it's for Billie and Cooper's story.

Standing out from the crowd

Well the list is up on the NV site and sadly i didn't stand out from the crowd as one they wanted to see more of.
What do you think makes someone's writing stand out from the crowd, what does it for you?
But that is not going to stop me from submitting. I think persistance is the key and also, the next two chapters show some really good character development and plot so they may change their minds once they have it and the Synopsis.

Argh. The Synopsis.
Off to write that one, but i am dreading it as i have changed my writing style and have become a Pantser. I'd found once i'd plotted everything out i was then bored and didn't want to write the story anymore!
Maybe if i make the synopsis a little vague...i do know how it will end and i have written 65% of the story, so surely that will be enough without ruining it for me!

First three chapters

That is what i'm working on.
Billie and Cooper's beginning. Re-titled The Price of Passion. I'm polishing and rewriting the start to submit to Harlequin.
I wasn't going to do this until i'd finished writing the entire ms. But prompted by the New Voices comp when i polished the first chapter, i decided why not do the first 3?!
Now i'm just waiting on the list on the NV site to see if i'm one of the ones they are going to be following up before i submit :)
What are you all up to?

Submission

I have just sent a letter and first three chapters of Secrets & Lies to HarperCollins New Zealand. I know as an unsolicitated manuscript i have little hope of getting to the top of their pile - but we are free to dream. I will waiting the expected 6-10 weeks until i hear a reply by hopefully starting another novel.
Perhaps it will be a sequel or another one entirely. I do know i have a short story i am dying to write so perhaps that will be the next one. I've been searching the net for writing competitions to enter but they are hard to find and there are many sites advising not to enter due to scams and i don't want to get trapped in one of those! Especially after my close call with the Writer's Literary Agency. If any one knows of a reputable competition can you let me know? i'm dying to get my stories out to all and every avenue i can find.