Oh. Well. Hm. Good?
So Jen (the agent in question) thinks my writing is hilarious and darling (glee!), and in the sections on the advice form that are like ‘what to do next’ she wrote ‘send Jen more’ and put smiley faces and her email address, which… AWESOME.
But. We talked about the book. As you do. And as often happens when I receive a good critique I promptly wanted to go home and rewrite the whole thing. Even though Jen has not in fact read the whole book she managed to give me a way of looking at it that could help me fix something about it that has always kind of bothered me and that I am sure will make it better. (Which is the kind of editorial skill I would bleed to have in my life, honestly.)
So the I-want-to-rip-my-book-apart is a good thing. I mean, I’ve always expected that the second I got an agent they would want me to rewrite and the same thing when I got a publisher only more so. However, reworking the book in the way I have in mind would be an enormous amount of work and I’m wondering if it’s really worthwhile starting that process by myself rather than waiting to actually have someone with that kind of eye looking over my shoulder.
But maybe Jen would like to be that person? And then…
<Okay, this is the part where there should be a lengthy commentary about what I want to do with the book and what Jen wants me to do and my thoughts on that, but that would be a much longer post. Which I may do later when I’m capable of being more coherent on the subject.>
Aaanyway. I figure I’ll think about it some more (probably endlessly) and once I’m back from the trip I’ll get in contact with her and we’ll talk about it and I can decide what to do and she can decide if she’s interested in working with me or not.
So that’s that part. But wait, there’s more! Did I mention how much she likes my work? So she’s nominating me for the Sue Alexander Award. What’s the Sue Alexander Award you ask? So did I. (Yes, I know, I should be more aware of these things.) It’s an award given to the manuscript presented at the conference that’s ‘deemed most promising for publication’. (Mini-squee. Okay, not that mini.)
Just being nominated for the award could be helpful for the query/submission process if things don’t work out with Jen because it’s like saying, “Well, someone who knows what they’re talking about thinks I don’t completely suck” (and, quietly, is great for reassuring myself that I’m not kidding myself about this whole career-as-a-writer thing). And if I win they fly me to New York and hook me up with a number of agents and publishers who check out my work. So that would be… excuse me while I bibble with incoherent glee. So yeah. Either way that’s just AWESOME. That whole ‘honour just to be nominated thing’? Yes.
Also, after the meeting there was a Rick in my room. So, you know, pretty good day, really. Although I don’t know how I’m going to get through the next month without breaking down and holing up in a hotel room and writing. At this point my best bet is my fundamental conflict about what to write. Finish book two on general principle? Rip one and two apart and rebuild them? Write Wizards because GODDAMMIT?
So that was a thing. Was that what you wanted to know?
dragonbear42
14/08/2012
WOO HOO!! Fan-freakin’-tastic news 🙂
I’m so excited for you girl 🙂
You are amazing and now more people are telling you that 🙂
I can’t stop grinning 🙂
Glee 🙂
Hugs 🙂
Kandace Mavrick
14/08/2012
Arkem says I made him grin like an idiot in sympathy. This is a good superpower to have.
wolflullaby
14/08/2012
SQUEE!! That sounds amazing! *jumps up and down* When you are back, I’ll jump up and down with you in person. I know at this point it’s still a lot of possibilities, not a lot of certainties, but STILL! So exciting!
Regarding your choices of what to do next, personally I would look at pulling apart the first book. I’m not sure if the way you will be changing it will be effecting what you’ve already done of the second book, but surely the ripples of change could turn into waves.
Plus I imagine that once you are published you will be more supported in everything you write from then on (by agents, publishers, adoring fans etc), so surely one of the most important things here is to get you out there in the public eye? It sounds to me like making the changes you’ve discussed with Jen will help with that.
Kandace Mavrick
14/08/2012
Well yeah, the plan had been to finish off the second book and then move on to Wizards but if I’m about to destroy the first one again… I can’t explain without going into a long thing about it but the reworking I’m thinking about would have a massive effect on what the second book will be, so it feels like that might be a waste of effort.
I really need to get up close and personal with the book and look at how those changes would be made and think about what effect they’ll have on the story I’m telling and… yeah. I’m trying not to think about it too much right now as I am meant to be humming the Indiana Jones theme while climbing on Mexican archaeology and the urge to hole up with my laptop and write is already strong.
David
14/08/2012
Congrats! That’s beyond awesome… It’s B-Awesome =)
arkayspark
14/08/2012
Wonderful … Fantastic!,, Congratulations on your nomination!!
And what took you so long to tell us!!
My advice … Don’t pull it apart yet
. Leave something for agents and publishers to do…
If you have to make yourself lots of notes in red and yellow and green…. And write Wizards if you have to..
But you have Rick and archaeology (I’m green about those ruins, though I guess there’s lots of walking!)
Kandace Mavrick
14/08/2012
Well, I was GOING to post this last week, but then there was Disney and travel and Vegas and… I didn’t.
But I’m bravely not writing and scampering out to check out the ruins 🙂
Caris
14/08/2012
Congratulations! That is fantastic news and totally a move in the right direction and Jen will fall madly in love with your work and you will be published by next Christmas 🙂
As for writing I think you shouldn’t as you are meant to be playing with Rick at the moment and exploring the lovely places you are visiting but if you have to write I think you should totally write Wizards. I might be a bit bias but I actually have reasons and not just being selfish and wanting more explosions right now.
My reason revolve around leaving it till you get more feed back from Jen or one of the others as look at how much she has inspired you and helped fix things with her only reading a little bit. Imagine what she (or others) could do for you once they have read more … So what I am saying is leave it alone till you have more feedback so you don’t change it and then get more feedback and go ‘oh that works even better’ and change it all again.
Hugs. Enjoy the rest of your holiday 🙂
Kandace Mavrick
14/08/2012
I enjoy your optimism. And I’m totally being good and not writing! (Well, maybe thinking about it a bit…) And yeah, I would like to ask Jen to read more of it and talk to her about it before I get violent with it. Because I have IDEAS. But at this point I do think feedback would be a very good thing. Otherwise, I guess, Wizards until I find someone who wants to give me feedback… Or until I crack 😛