N - News Alert!

I do not subscribe to a local newspaper, although sometimes I'll read online papers. I absolutely never watch the news on TV. Frankly, it's just too much information for my brain to absorb and most articles deal with such negative topics, why waste my time? Until recently, keeping up on news events felt like a giant vacuum sucking out my energy and creativity--my oxygen. Then I made a discovery. Reading about what's going on in my local community, the country, or the world, provides an endless source of ideas for characters and plots! Duh!! True, if I wrote crime novels, legal thrillers, or murder mysteries there may appear to be a greater pool of scenarios to draw from. But every time I peruse online articles, blogs, and even the occasional newspaper, or listen to podcasts on a variety of topics, I find a plethora of ideas for writing YA Fantasy with a cross over into new Age Fiction. It's actually become a critical part of my creative processing. Sometimes I have to remind myself to stop reading and start writing. Certainly there are other ways to gather ideas for stories, but don't discount the news. Someday, your novel may be the next big headline.

M - Memorize and Master Your Pitch

With Spring and Summer writer's conferences knocking at every door, it's time to memorize and master your pitch. It ought to roll off your tongue as easily as reciting the ABC's--and with as much enthusiasm as a child has when he or she blissfully sings it to whomever will listen. Yes, you could even try singing the darn thing in the shower (not to an agent!) if that helps you feel more relaxed about it. Certainly you need to know your pitch well enough to maintain a confident lilt while presenting it to an agent. At the very least, remember to breathe. And if at all possible, smile. Regardless of the genre, plot or subject matter of the manuscript, as far as the delivery of the pitch is concerned, you need to exude good energy! On the other hand, if you pitch to an agent who has no interest in fantasy or sci fi and your two-minute synopsis talks about an elf population from a lost world that morphs into other forms so they can travel through time to conquer a new civilization in an unknown galaxy, the agent won't care about your enthusiastic delivery and will probably look bored or annoyed. Do your research. Only pitch to the agents who may have the most interest in what you've written. If you have a chance to participate in a Speed Pitching session at a conference, do it. After you do a few of them, it's really kind of fun. Most agents and editors will do their best to smile and help you relax. Remember, they're just people, too.

So, here's the rundown on mastering your pitch. Write it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. Rewrite it. (Get the idea?) Memorize it. Practice saying it aloud. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. (Get the idea?) Research the conferences you plan to attend to see which agents will be there. Or better yet, research agents who you think will be a good match for you and your work, and find out what conferences they will be attending. In doing so, you can usually find out what agents like, what they're looking for, and what their expectations are. Perform. Yep, you've got to "act like" you have all the confidence in the world, both in yourself AND in your work.

Write...rewrite...memorize...practice...research...perform. Go get'em! (The photo for this post were taken in my yard and is a reminder to sign up for a Spring or Summer writers conference. I'll be attending Field's End in Poulsbo, WA, April 16; LDS Storymakers in Salt Lake City, UT, May 5-7; and PNWA in Bellvue, WA, Aug. 4-7.)

What's LOVE Got to Do With It?

Are you in love? If so, Happy Valentine's Day. If not, Happy Valentine's Day anyway. I've been married to the love of my life for thirty years! Long enough to know that a lasting, meaningful, successful relationship is a process, not an event. Loving the ups and downs of that process is imperative if you're going to hold on during the tough times. My husband and I are in that comfortable place of a relationship where appreciating the little things we do for each other every day, accepting each other just as we are, and being at ease with silence is what makes it so real. And so deliciously sweet!

As writers, we need to have that same kind of relationship with our work. Stay at it long enough to grasp being in love with the process. And accept the fact that there will ALWAYS be ups and downs. After all, being a writer isn't as romantic as the Hallmark movies portray. You know, the poor starving artist who falls in love with the wealthy and famous author and they live happily ever after. Or better yet, the poor starving writer who owns the neighborhood vintage bookstore, meets a wealthy business man who believes in her work and puts her in touch with an agent crazy about the hopeful author's latest novel which becomes an instant New York Time's #1 title. No, no, it doesn't happen that way. Not even close! But it does happen when you're in love: In love with the hard work. In love with the fact that you never give up even when it's tough and it's not what you expected. In love with your daily efforts to improve your craft AND keep up with the fast-changing industry. In love with your own voice. Not in an arrogant way, just in an "I-believe-in-myself way", sort of way. Mostly, you must be madly--and I do mean insanely--in love with those moments you listen to the story in your heart, not just in your head. It's called passion--the elusive quality that keeps writers writing and married couples married.

K - Keep At It

Waiting to hear back from an agent can make a writer feel a bit Kooky-eyed! But a few days ago I received a very nice rejection from a big name literary agent. It was more than just a form letter and actually left me smiling. I appreciated the agent for her time and effort to read my query and partial manuscript submission in a timely manner (less than three weeks), and then to give me an honest and personal reply. I do my research well before I submit a query to an agent--I need to have a feel as to whether or not they might be a good match for me and my work. Likewise, I appreciate the agents who genuinely consider if a manuscript is a good match for them. Agents typically receive hundreds of query letters a week--a daunting task to find not only a well written story but a marketable story that stands out from all the others. Am I discouraged? Not at all. As far as finding the best agent to represent my work, I intend to KEEP AT IT until the right match is found. It'll happen.

J - Jeff Herman's Guide

If you're a writer who is serious about getting published--and don't already have the most recent edition--you need to add "Jeff Herman's 2010 Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents" to your shopping cart at http://www.jeffherman.com/ Or pick it up at your local bookstore this week. The book provides a wealth of information about the publishing industry. The website includes countless authors' testimonials attributing their success in acquiring an agent or editor with the information they gleaned from this valuable reference book. As an agency they handle mostly nonfiction. Check out their long list of impressive titles.

I - I Believe Imagination is Innate

A few days ago I had the unique opportunity to present a speech at an event in support of the "This I Believe" organization. A group of individuals from our community were asked to write their beliefs and then share them with the audience...all part of a high school student's senior project. Check out this awesome international organization at http://thisibelieve.org. Here is what I believe:

"I believe one of the greatest treasures within each human being is the gift to create, and that our ability to do so is only limited by our imagination. I believe children innately possess the quality of mind and soul which allows them to tap into their own creative imaginations. They instinctively live in their own reality—in the now—which is created by their imaginations. This is why they are so joyful, honest, and determined. Often, somewhere between childhood and adolescence, humans become disillusioned by the imprinting of their circumstances, by other individuals, and even by entire societies of people who have forgotten how to live with creative imagination.

In the mid 1950’s, Dr. Allen A. Stockdale gave a unique perspective on imagination: “When God made the earth, he could have finished it, but He didn’t. Instead, he left it as raw material to tease us and tantalize us and set us thinking and experimenting and risking and adventuring, and therein we find the supreme interest in living. God gave us a world unfinished so that we might share in the joys and satisfaction of creation. He left the electricity in the clouds. He left the rivers unbridged and the mountains untrailed. He left the cities unbuilt. He left the laboratories opened. He left the diamonds uncut. He gave us a challenge of raw materials, not the satisfaction of perfect, finished things. He left the music unsung, the dramas unplanned. He left the poetry undreamed in order that men and women might not become bored with life, but engage in stimulating, exciting, creative activities to keep them thinking, working, experimenting, and experiencing all the joys and durable satisfactions of achievement. Work, thought, creation—these give life its stimulus.”


In November 2008, at a worldwide conference for women, former international airline pilot, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, said this about the process of creative imagination: “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before.”

As an author, I explore and create a story that didn’t exist before. In my most recent work, a young adult new age fiction titled, The Stelladaur: Book One, Finding Tir Na Nog the main character makes personal connections between imagination and reality, inviting the reader to do the same. Here is a brief synopsis:

Reilly McNamara is an unusual sixteen year old boy with multi sensory abilities. His best friend, Eilam, is an ageless guru who most consider to be crazy. His worst enemy, Travis Jackson, is a billionaire scientist who owns the marina near Reilly's island home. After his father dies in a tragic accident, Reilly is led to a magical stone called a Stelladaur which was used by his great-grandfather to travel back and forth to Tir Na Nog--a magical place of endless wealth in all forms. Once Reilly discovers that a Stelladaur can bring to its rightful owner their greatest desire, he also begins a series of mystical journeys through various unexpected portals in search of his father. Each time, Reilly returns to the real world with enlightenment which guides him in his assigned task to help others find their own Stelladaur and innate gifts. But Reilly must also prevent Travis from discovering the power of the Stelladaur and destroying the imagination of others with his latest invention of a time travel device called The ROCK--drug-laced-laboratory-fabricated-stones. When a beautiful girl enters his life, will Reilly continue to trust his heart without questioning what he wants most? The Stelladaur Series is about realizing your greatest desire by understanding the universal connection between imagination and following your own heart.

In one scene, Reilly goes through a vortex in the violet stream of a rainbow to a place called Jolka where he meets Fiala. She tells him that his desires must be "educated with imagination" which "gives great power to envision and believe".

"Each colored vortex provides specific education for one's greatest desire. One perspective, and then another, and then another," Fiala explained.

A comfortable silence that reminded Reilly of quiet moments with Eilam now settled upon him. They inched along the moving sidewalk for a while without talking, as he continued to digest what Fiala had told him. Still trying to absorb everything he was experiencing, Reilly was, nevertheless, certain that it was all very real. He broke the silence between them.

"Can a person have everything they want, or only if it is a greatest desire?"

"Every desire is for receiving and enjoying,” Fiala began. “One must only be in alignment with the law which manifests the desire. Most beings from the place of habitation where the One called Reilly resides, do not allow such understanding," she smiled.

"Then what’s the purpose of a greatest desire?" Reilly questioned again.

"To reveal the endless potential within every One being."

Like Reilly, I believe every dream, goal, or desire we imagine is a seed of endless possibilities. These seeds of creativity are given to cultivate our greatest potential as human beings. This I believe."

H - The Hook

I just finished reading a post by literary agent, Kathleen Ortiz, who stated her agency received over 580 queries in December! From those, only 24 hopeful writers were asked to submit portions of their manuscripts. (Read more about it at http://kortizzle.blogspot.com/) Obviously there are many factors involved here. However, if the hook you've been using in your query hasn't caught the attention of an agent yet, you may need to get a new hook. Although an agent did request an exclusive read of my manuscript (and even a second read after I completed a few minor edits she recommended), she nevertheless, could not find the right fit for the novel. Did the hook work? I don't know. I don't have an agent yet. After careful research to determine who might be looking for a YA New Age Fantasy, I queried a few other agents. I sharpened my hook and hope it does the trick!