Meet 'n' Greet

As part of the Gearing Up to Get an Agent (GUTGAA) festivities, here are my answers for the Meet & Greet Q&A. I'm actually one of the first-round judges for the upcoming pitch contest, but I really wanted to join in the preliminary schmoozing! :-) For more info on GUTGAA, or to sign up for the upcoming contests, go to deanabarnhart.blogspot.com.

Where do you write?
At my desktop computer in the family room, right smack in the middle of all the commotion. Occasionally, my husband lets me steal his laptop and write in my bedroom with the door shut for hours. That is divine, and I write so much faster when I'm not interrupted every two seconds!

Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
A rubber-banded stack of note cards with the major beats and scenes of the novel I'm writing.

Favorite time to write?
I'm a night owl, but I write best first thing in the morning. I've discovered evenings are better for editing.

Drink of choice while writing?
Water. I carry a water bottle everywhere I go. I need me my H2O!

When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?
Complete silence is best, though I write to music often--but only if it's instrumental. Movie soundtracks are great. I love to sing, and if the music has vocals, I can't help but sing along. Then I'm too distracted to get any writing done!

What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
Two things inspired The Rowaness of Shalott. First, my lifetime love of fairies (especially dryads) and mythology (Arthurian myths, in this case). And, second, my feelings revolving around donating a kidney to my brother played a huge role in the themes of this novel.

What's your most valuable writing tip?
Once you've finished your draft, give it some space--at least two weeks (I did two months). Then read it in as little sittings as possible and mark it only for pacing or big picture things. Edit as little as possible so you keep reading quickly like a reader would. This helps me understand, more than anything, how my story is working as a whole.

Mini Bio:
I grew up spouting Shakespeare on the stage and playing folk songs on my guitar, but it wasn’t until I had three children that I discovered my passion for creative writing. Now I channel my artistic energy into the pages of my young adult fantasy novels, where I get to act out all the parts and write swoonworthy love songs for my characters.

Gearing Up to Get an Agent

I will be helping behind-the-scenes as a first-round judge for the Gearing Up to Get an Agent's (GUTGAA) pitch contest. GUTGAA is a huge blogfest, complete with an agent-judged contest (11 agents are participating in the final round--UPDATE: There are now 12 agents slotted to participate, thanks to my wonderful agent, Weronika Janczuk), a small press pitch contest, critique opportunities, prizes for random participants, critique group matchmaking, and more! The fun begins August 31st and runs through mid-October. My friend, Deana Barnhart (one of the sweetest people alive), is the wizard behind the curtain.

Here's an abbreviated version of the schedule. For more info (and what you need to do to sign up), visit deanabarnhart.blogspot.com 

Friday, August 31st:
Prep for the Meet and Greet by completing a questionnaire.

WEEK 1 (Monday, Sept 3rd - Friday, Sept 7th)

OFFICIAL START OF GUTGAA!
Monday:
GUTGAA Meet and Greet - We're starting off with a little get to know you action. 

Wednesday: 
BETA/Critique Group Connect - Deana will act as a matchmaker and help those interested in making some serious writer connections.

Friday:
Call for Pitch Polish Entries - Window opens Friday and closes Saturday at midnight. Deana will take the first 100 entries for next week's public pitch critique.

Giveaway Winner Announced - Every Friday Deana will randomly draw a participant's name and give them a prize just for being cool:)

WEEK 2 (Monday, Sept 10th - Friday, Sept 14th)

PITCH POLISH!
Monday:
Pitches Posted for Pitch Polish - 100 pitches posted anonymously. Participants invited to give constructive criticism.

Friday: 
Entry Window Opens for Agent Pitch Contest - First 200 entries accepted. Participants submit their query and the first 150 words of their manuscript.

Giveaway Winner Announced - Random participant given a prize.

WEEK 3 (Monday, Sept 17th - Friday, Sept 21st)

AGENT PITCH CONTEST: ROUND 1!
Monday:
Get Your Foot in the Door - The 200 entries for the Agent Pitch Contest will be divided into groups of 40 and posted on five different host sites and separated by genre. Each group will be visited by four anonymous judges who will each pick their top ten. The entries with the most votes will go on to Round 2 - The Agent Round. There will be 50 finalists!

Monday - Thursday:
Judge Trolling - The anonymous judges will comment on the entries and vote for you to move on.

Friday:
Finalists Announced
Giveaway Winner Announced 

WEEK 4 (Monday, Sept 24th - Friday, Sept 28th)

AGENT PITCH CONTEST: ROUND 2!
Monday:
The Agent Round - Deana will post the 50 finalist pitches on her blog for the 11 agents to read through.

Monday - Friday:
Agent Trolling - As agents read through the pitches, they can comment on any that they want. If they really like your entry, they can request a partial or full through the comments, as well.

Friday:
Entry Window Opens for Small Press Pitch Contest - First 100 entries accepted. Participants submit their query and the first 150 words of their manuscript.

Giveaway Winner Announced

WEEK 5 (Monday, Oct 1st - Friday, Oct 5th)  

SMALL PRESS PITCH CONTEST: ROUND 1!
Monday:
Get Your Foot in the Door - The 100 entries will be divided into groups of twenty and posted on five different host sites and separated by genre. Each group will be visited by three anonymous judges, who will each pick their top five. The entries with the most votes will go on to Round 2 - The Editor Round. There will be 25 finalists!

Monday - Thursday:
Judge Trolling - The anonymous judges will comment on the entries and vote for you to move on.

Friday:
Finalists Announced
Giveaway Winner Announced

WEEK 6 (Monday, Oct 8th - Friday, Oct 12th)

SMALL PRESS PITCH CONTEST: ROUND 2!
Monday:
The Editor Round - The 25 finalists' pitches will be posted on Deana's blog for the seven small presses to read through.

Monday - Friday:
Editor Trolling - As editors read through the pitches, they can comment on any that they want. If they really like your entry, they can request a partial or full through the comments, as well.

Friday:
Winners Announced For Agent and Small Press Pitch Contest
Final Giveaway Winner Announce

Again, there's still time to sign up to participate. Head over to deanabarnhart.blogspot.com for more information.