This is my apology for the oblique post header, but I was sick of how many posts I've entitled "News" lately, but really that's what this is, a post with all kinds of news and other such random things that can't quite be classified. So. Accept this Threadless T graphic in exchange for putting up with my cliffhanger.
But yeah, so, news! Remember how I wanted to finish Mirrorpass by the end of my break? (Maybe I never said that. Um, pretend I did, because I wanted to.) Well, I was so caught up in finals and research papers that Mirrorpass was dragging her heels right around the 59k mark, being 59k out of an estimated 75k story. Now I finished finals. Wrote those papers. And have spent the last few days settling back into my writing groove. After today's writing session I tallied my wordcount...and Huzzah! I'm at 69K! Only 6K left. Which totally rocks.
Second piece of news is brief; I'm still working on my linklists, and have two out of the four updated. Some of those writer blogs are insanely awesome and I encourage you to check them out.
Also, this is your last chance to swap links with me because I tend to update my list in binges and...well...this might not happen again for another six months. You've been warned.
Third piece of news is that I finally may have gotten some of my fiction published! I submitted a piece of flash fiction entitled The Eye to my college newspaper, and they emailed me back after a few weeks saying that it *should* be published in the next week's newspaper. Except I read the email a week late and couldn't procure a copy of the paper. Published? Unpublished? Will I ever know? Mixed basket of joy here. Especially since I promised myself I wouldn't post any of my fiction until after it was published, so, what should I do now that it's 'maybe' been published? Maybe post it? I don't know guys, sway me one way or t'other.
Before we get to the rest of and most exciting news, let me ask you a question. When--and why--are good times to start a personal writer blog? Because I've been considering blogging about it. Actually, I've been considering DOING it, and blogging about it would help, but first I want to know what you think. Are personal blogs easier? Harder? Do they impact your writing career for the better, or do they simply raise false hope?
Share.
Now for main news: I have interviews coming up! Oh oh yes! Ordered monthwise, here they are.
January:
We get to talk to Jen Nadol about her debut The Mark. This a YA novel about a teenager who can see an aura--or mark--around someone the day they are going to die. This debuts Jan 19th.
March:
Lauren Oliver talks about Before I Fall. This is a YA debut about a girl who finds herself living the same day over and over again, learning that she has the power to change the lives of those around her...and maybe prevent her own death. This debuts on March 2cnd. Lauren Oliver has agreed to give away one Advanced Reading Copy of her book here on Headdesk, and the giveaway will be conducted the following week.
And just a week later we hear from Teri Hall about her YA debut, The Line, in which a young girl inside a closed society overhears a cry for help in the forbidden, mysterious place beyond known borders. Teri Hall has also offered an Advanced Reading Copy of The Line for giveaway, so we'll be having that contest as well!
After that, Kimberly Derting will talk about The Body Finder. This is a YA paranormal thriller about a girl who has the ability to sense dead bodies, and what happens when a serial killer begins murdering in her town. This comes out on the 16th.
May:
Joelle Anthony stops in to answer questions about Restoring Harmony. This is a post-apocalypse novel about a teenager girl who sets off on a dangerous cross-continent journey after her grandfather. This debuts May 13.
June:
Heidi R. Kling talks about her debut Sea, the story of a teenage girl who travels to Indonesia after a tsunami, falling for an orphan there while learning about her mother's death years before. This debuts June 10th.
The awesome Cyn Balog answers some questions about her new novel, Sleepless. This is the story of a Sandman who lures people to sleep, the girl he becomes to attached with, and what happens when he's no longer able to protect her. This comes out on the 13th.
There's a bunch of other people who've agreed to the interview as well, and I'm crazy excited about some of them, but they won't get announced until I can set a sure date.
Merry Christmas to you all and enjoy the holidays!
Truly and always
-Creative A
6 comments:
Oh, I am looking forward to March now! Those are some seriously good interviews coming up!
As to your question...I guess that you could call my blog (bethrevis.blogspot.com) a personal writing blog. It's about me, but with a focus on writing. And I can say that it helped immensely in my acquiring an agent (which I just signed with last week). When I was querying, I actually recieved multiple offers, and most of the agents mentioned that they were impressed with my blog--both in that I had a significant audience for it, and that the focus was on writing and publishing, which gave it a professional appearance. (They also, btw, mentioned my website just as much, and I probably could have gotten equal praise with just one--but it was nice when two of the agents who offered to represent me said they felt that they had a better understanding of me and my writing style and tastes from reading my blog).
So, yes, I do think a personal writing blog is helpful. BUT I think that this blog is just as helpful and I see absolutely no reason why you couldn't just combine your personal writing experiences with your book experiences. They're connected, after all.
(Unless you meant a blog that was just personal, and not about your writing--in which case I'm not sure if it would be relevant. If you meant a blog in which you posted your writing, I don't think that is helpful at all--it's giving away the milk for free, so to speak.)
Beth, thank you for the detailed reply! Very helpful. And congrats on getting the agent! That is incredibly awesome.
No, I meant exactly what you assumed; a blog about my personal writing journey. I wasn't thinking of abandoning this baby, but rather being more open about who I am and including more posts about my writing style, works in progress, etc. This was originally 'just a resource' and so I limited how much I talked about myself.
This is really a separate topic, but I don't believe in posting all of your writing either; I do think it's a good idea to have a sample out there, though. Thoughts on that? I saw (and read! They were very good!) the first two chapters of your agented novel on your website.
-CA
WOW! You have quite the schedule lined up! Congrats on "maybe" getting published. Does your paper put its stories online? My college paper did and it's always a nice little comfort to find them online when I get the itch...
Gray, that is a fabulous idea. Thank you so much! I'm going to investigate that right away. (And thanks for the add, btw :) )
-CA
I like the new look and here is to turning "maybe" into "published" real soon.
Wow, I was about to announce the blog makeover today, but Ralf, you beat me to the punch. Here here!
-CA
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