Embarrassing Mistakes 101

Ahhh. I suppose there are plenty of areas to cover in the realm of embarrassing mistakes in this world.


For a writer, few are less embarrassing than making mistakes in your quest (and sometimes, haste) to have your writing published…

It's even more frustrating when you find out it could have been completely avoided had you dug a little deeper and familiarized yourself with the proper way something should have been done.

I wrote in my previous blog about the importance of research while writing your story. I forgot to mention another, perhaps even more important, area of research:

The submission process.

Please, please, please research the proper way to format your manuscript, the length and content of a synopsis, and perhaps, most importantly, the correct procedure in writing your query letter.

I speak from experience.

In the first few query letters I sent out, I was completely off base.

I misunderstood the part where you’re supposed to tell a bit about yourself. In my mind, I took it to mean that they wanted a casual, summary of who you are. You know, like the way they do it on Wheel of Fortune;  “Hi! I’m Sally from Callamazoo. I’m married with five great kids, and I raise homing pigeons!”… That’s not exactly what they want.

There is a very specific and professional format you need to follow if you want to be taken seriously.

If you don’t do your research and submit it properly, there’s a possibility you may have to endure the mortification of reading segments of your query letter on the “What Not to Do” segment of an agents blog.

I’ve learned my lesson the hard way.  Hopefully, I can spare you the red face and feeling of a massive rock sinking in your gut once you’ve realized your faux pas-- and it’s too late to do anything about it.

With the plethora of excellent websites and blogs written by experienced authors and pros expressing exactly how to prepare your submission information, there’s no reason you can’t create the perfect submission.

I’d like to finish this entry by taking a moment gush over my fourth-grade daughter, Eden.

She hopped off her school bus the other day, and came barreling at me with a big, toothy smile, waving a certificate she had won for “Writer of the Month.”

We stood there hugging, and I was overwhelmed with pride as I realized that the fruit had indeed, fallen from the tree-- and I was holding it in my arms…

What happened to July?

So, it's August already and I have no idea where the time went...It seems I missed blogging the entire month of July!  I've been real busy with my kids, and have been committing as much time as I can to helping out and hanging out with my sick sis.

You know, I have a theory about why time seems to go by so much faster now that I'm an adult.  Sure we're busier with lots more responsibilty, but that doesn't jive with the whole "Time Flies When You're Having Fun" theory. 

When I was a kid, life was a lot of fun!  Time certainly didn't fly by.  There really wasn't that much to worry about--just things like going to school, doing homework, learning to tie your shoes, and using the right silverware in front of our scary Grandmom...

Other than that, life consisted of riding bikes, building forts and playing games like "Ghost in the Graveyard" (so fun!)  There were so many of us, that on some days during summer vaction, our mom would only let us in the house to use the bathroom--lunchtime picnics everyday--we loved it! 

So here's my theory on how the time flies:
See, I think life is like a roadtrip--The ride there always takes forever, but the ride home seems to go by pretty quickly... (I remember our family taking roadtrips to the mountains in Pennsylvania--once, we even went as far as Canada.  Our parents stuffed all seven kids in a station wagon,  and away we went...now that's a long roadtrip!) 

Anyway, my point is that I think our life's timeline is like that.  When I was a kid, it seemed like the days were really long, and it took FOREVER for Christmas to come back around--So that was the first half of the "life" ride--very long.

At some point in my adulthood, time started moving very quickly--like the "life" ride back...

So, if you're feeling like time is soaring past you, it's probably because you're on your way back, so to speak--in other words, when you finally reach your destination, you truly will be at the end of the road...
So take the time to enjoy your life, and make it a sweet journey! 

My NJSCBWI Conference Experience...NAME DROPPING ALERT...

I just got home from the NJSCBWI Conference that was held in Princeton, New Jersey.  It was AWESOME!!!!  I had been looking forward to it for months, and the experience just blew me away--Thank you, thank you, thank you to Kathy Temean and everyone else who did their part in putting together this well-oiled-machine for writers & illustrators!!  

Andrew Carnegie would  have called it a "Mastermind" group effort...
I had never been to an SCBWI event before, and I have to say, the experience was so satisfying to me.

It feels like I had the literary equivalent to multiple Thanksgiving dinners, and my brain is stuffed!

I had no idea that I had no idea about so much!  There's a plethora of information swirling around in my head right now.  I think I have to let it settle in a bit before I start processing it all!

It was strange--I kept on seeing people who looked incredibly familiar to me, but I couldn't place where I knew them from--who knows?  Maybe a past life?
What a great feeling, though, to walk amongst complete strangers, knowing that you all share a similar, if not same, passion for your craft. It's just refreshing to hang out with like minded people.
(I'm thinking this must be how Trekkies feel when they do their special "V" shaped finger salute.)

During my workshops, it was a surreal experience to get the perspectives, advice and information from greats like agent Scott Triemel (super-smart & mega savvy),  the intelligent and gracious (consultant) Simone Kaplan, and the brilliant & light-hearted author and child development specialist Eileen Kennedy-Moore, PhD.

The Author, Agent, Publisher workshop was so fun!  We were able to ride along with author, Kristin Clark-Venuti (Leaving the Bellweathers),  agent Tracey Adams (Adams Literary), and Senior Editor, Regina Griffin, as they took us along the chronological path from submitting a manuscript to getting it published.  The three of them seemed to really like each other, and that was cool to watch.  Those of us who haven't been published yet wonder what it would be like, and since I enjoy living vicariously through other people (one life isn't enough for me!) I was able to get a real feel for what getting that "Big Call" (or email~)would be like...I'll say it again, FUN!

It's almost like the whole procedure follows an arc, much like a book does!  (can you tell I just learned about arcs?)

Since the illustrator's point of view is paramount in a picture book,  I thought it would be valuable for me as a writer to sign up for an illustrator's workshop.  I wanted to learn more about the whole picture book process and I'm so glad I did!  Not only did I get to see some beautiful artwork--I was also able to see practically first hand (thanks to Powerpoint) how Creative Director, Patrick Collins (Henry Holt) finagles every creative aspect in a book, from font to art placement, to sizing and more!  It made me more aware of what I don't need to write, and to trust that the artist's interpretation of my story will only make it better!  That works for me!

I've already put Kathy Temean's workshop advice on media to work on this very blog!  She's absolutely right about getting with the program in today's multimedia marketing.  I'm too embarrassed to tell you what I didn't know before--I'm already navigating better!  I'm still quite new at it--computer literacy isn't something that comes very easily to me, but I'm going to ride this wave in as best as I can without falling off my board!

Kathy  seems to be one of those "catch all" people who can do a multitude of things at once, and handles every task with 110% efficiency.  (the success of this conference can attest to that!)  I think she'll need to sleep for a week after all of this work!

And of course, a big shout out to children's book author, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen!   If you want honesty (and you should) and advice, she's the person you want to talk to...The information that she gave in her workshop on what does and doesn't work in picture books was fabulous!  It made me understand my manuscript critique so much more...Plus, her cosmic blend of sassy, funny and brilliance makes her workshops so entertaining!

I don't know how I got so lucky with the seating placement at lunch!  On Friday, I somehow ended up at the same table as Anita Nolan, Carolyn Yoder, Kristin Clark-Venuti, and the enchanting keynote speaker and renowned author and poet, David L. Harrison--(one of the pieces he read was so moving, it brought tears to my eyes~) along with illustrator Bruce Arant.  How did I get so lucky?  You know, I truly believe that I would have felt equally blessed at any one of the tables.   On Saturday, we had a few of the same people with some new ones, and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen joined us.  She's so down-to-earth and approachable that the conversation at the table flowed easily.  Let's face it, it can be awkward breaking bread with complete strangers, so lightening the atmosphere is always a welcome thing~

There were so many more people I wanted to meet, and some day I will--I'm already excited about next years conference!  The national SCBWI conference is coming up, but I don't think I'll be able to make that one--it's in L.A., and well, I'm a bit claustrophobic & flying freaks me out!


The writer in me wants to get busy applying the priceless gems of information I received from the array of workshops I attended...But, alas, the tired old woman in me wants to go to sleep, so it's off to bed with a plan to start fresh again tomorrow! 

Goodnight, friends~Eileen