Monday, June 24, 2013

Pitching, Writing and Waiting


What is writing all about?

Among other things, it is about pitching, writing and waiting.

I came back from our writer's conference pumped up. A few days ago, I sent out my MG, Duck and Cover, to an agent. We were introduced to each other via email by Christine Witthohn (another great agent that I pitched to at the conference). Now I am on pins and needles (and crossing my fingers and toes) waiting to hear back from this great agent she introduced me too.

In the meantime, I have been working on a new PB!

So far I have three versions of it that I am writing.

My first attempt was in first person and I really loved it and it was titled My Monster. Then I got to thinking and thought it may be confusing to the young reader in first person. So I changed it to Margie's Monster! I now have two versions of it under the title of Margie's Monster.

I am having a great time fleshing it out - changing words and phrases here and there - inserting new ideas as they come to me. I love writing picture books. It is amazing how different my final version can be from the version I started out with.

Picture books, though short, are just like any other manuscript you write. It takes time and patience and just the right words, but more so with picture books. Every word has to be special. When writing picture books, grab onto your imagination and leave those weak words at the back door and don't bring them into the house.

By the way, there is a great post over at Bookshelf Muse about critiquing. I am going to copy her info and put it to good use. Check it out if you get the chance.

Happy Writing!

Posted by Janet Smart  on Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch.





22 comments:

  1. Janet, I'm so impressed that you've got agents introducing you to their cohorts :). That's awesome news, and will definitely get you in the door with your submission. Best of luck!

    And thank you for linking to my post at The Bookshelf Muse. It's so nice to be able to share what I'm learning with other writers.

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    1. Yes, I was so glad that Christine referred me to her.

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  2. It's so true what you said about taking time. Sometimes I find I need to put my picture books away for a while and I have an entirely new perspective--and then repeat that cycle several times.

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    1. That is what we need to do. Picture books are just like anything we write, and we need to devote the time to them they deserve.

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  3. Janet,
    I'm so glad you writer's conference was so good. Good luck with your manuscript. I'm really impressed that you are working on another PB. You are indeed an inspiration to all of us to get busy writing. Thanks for the ideas on writing.

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    1. Hi Brenda, thanks for wishing me luck. Seems I'm always working on something, now if I could just get some of them published.

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  4. I love writing picture books. You're right - it's all about choosing the right words. Good luck getting your work published!

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    1. Yes, each word counts, especially in picture books.

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  5. Awe, you are one busy lady.. I'm praying everything turns out good and amazed at the same time. You are an inspiration. Thanks for the info.

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    1. Thanks, Susie, for your prayers. You are quite the busy lady, too, with all the writing you do.

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  6. Oh, good luck with your MG. I love the title!!

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  7. Thanks, Lynda. I have my fingers crossed!

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  8. Janet, your title is intriguing, and I wish you the best on publication and sales.

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  9. This article is mind blowing and knowledgeable. I enjoyed to read this post.

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  10. Janet, I wish you all the best with the agent!

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  11. Good luck with your manuscript. And you're so right about picture books. They are so hard to write, at least for me, because of their length. Monsters sounds like the perfect subject for young readers.

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  12. Great post, Janet. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

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  13. I'm wishing you the best. I find that it's best to continue working while waiting.

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  14. Thanks, Beverly, Carol and Medeia!

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  15. I nominated you for the Liebster blog award on my blog, Gone Gardening. If you'd like to pick it up, please stop by.

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Thank you for your comments. I love comments!