Odds and Ends of the Writing Life

The best news evah!  A group of talented writers ranging from aspiring to agented are participating in a fabulous summer Blogvel. 

What, pray tell, is a Blogvel?  A novel written across the Blogosphere.  I’m one of the writers, as is the enthusiastic and ever-fun Michelle over at Greenwoman blog.  She’s the mastermind behind this and has written the first chapter of our project.

Please enjoy the snippet and head over to her blog for the rest.

Skeleton Key Chapter One

Welcome to the first installment of Skeleton Key, a Round Robin Blogvel–a traveling blog novel. A list of participating blogs can be found here. And now I give you:

Chapter One

I swallow the bite of sandwich I’ve been chewing and look over at my lunch buddy. Normally I would think Genevieve is too pretty to talk to, but on my first day here she gave me a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting. What can I say? My friendship can be bought. Cheap.

I lean over, nudging her with my elbow before whispering “Do you ever think Laurel might be a vampire?”

Trust me when I say you won’t be disappointed to read the rest.

Next exciting thing?  I learned how to email a doc to my Kindle.  I know, people have been doing it since the Jurassic Period, but I’m always a bit slow on the uptake. 

I have to tell you, this is an amazing feature and I can’t wait to read my WIP on it after I polish this edit.  Why I like it?  It allows me to see a manuscript in book form.  I know that’s what agents who e-read manuscripts have said as well.  It feels like a book, not a work in progress. 

Now for the ends…I’m about 30 pages from the end of my edit on my YA.  Then it should be ready for a beta read–which I already have lined up.  My beta team?  Three teens and one editor by day, writer by night.  Super excited!  Oh yeah, and my little sis who’s not far off her teen years.  We’ll see what kind of cross-over appeal we may have with this manuscript.

And that’s it.  I’m off to the science museum with youngest for a field trip.  Followed by a weekend of baseball games and a fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis.  A quick check of my Inspiration tab will show you why my heart smiles for that opportunity.  And Drew’s even going to be one of the models in the fashion show! 

What are your odds and ends–real life, writing or otherwise?  Curious minds want to know.

Hugs and hope your weekend is delightful. 

 

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Cryfi and Other Writerly Musings

While commenting on a blog, I got the verification word: Cry-Fi.

It immediately struck my writer’s brain as a new genre.  Chick-litty Science Fiction.  Flippant, self-centered MCs who shop for the newest cosmic fashion while saving the universe from an impending hostile take-over by an alien race of pond scum.

And then it hit me.  I’ve seen these stories before.  Cry-Fi exists.  Not in so many words, but as writers tend to cross the traditional genre boundaries, these melting-pot stories have emerged full force.

Nobody wants their writing to be put in a box–narrowly defined by a word or two.  We want something bigger, grander.  New and cosmically cool.  Heck, we want our writing to break virgin ground.

Yet, this mentality can greatly damage our chances of ever seeing our writing in the bookstore.   Agents must define our manuscripts so they can pitch them to editors who must visualize their spot on the bookshelf.  This pitch is necessary for marketing and publicity. 

Our future books cannot simply demand a new section in the already established book stores.  Cyber or otherwise. 

Go ahead, try it.  Create a new word and google it.  It’s impossible to find because it does not exist anywhere but your own head.  This is the fate of your out-of-the-box, Cry-Fi novel.  If people don’t know about it, they can’t search for it.

So, as much as it hurts to see your manuscript pinned with a generic label or two, it is a necessary evil.  And it starts with us.  The writers.  We must give agents something tangible to pitch to editors to pitch to marketing to pitch to bookstores to pitch to readers. 

Having trouble defining where your novel fits?  Check out this handy genre list.

Got a new genre you’re pitching?  Share it with us and we’ll see if it catches on!

*Writing a series? Hop on over to From the Write Angle and see if it’s for you.