Whew. Is anyone else finding themselves so distracted by all the awesome queries in the forums? I'm having a hard time jumping from event to event, but never fear, I still made it through most of the posts. Plus, I can always catch up over the next week.
I'll admit the events that drew me on day 2 were geared more toward authors writing or publishing than querying, simply because that's something we can all benefit from and well, I'm past the querying stage (although the ability to succinctly summarize your story in a way that grabs readers is still a necessary skill).
I loved, loved, loved Lindsey Leavitt's vlog on the debut year. While this spoke to the incredibly intense emotional roller coaster you experience after you sell your book, this is a great vlog for anyone trying to sell a book. I never really considered the after except in some hazy dreamlike way. It seemed too far away to think about, but, trust me, this vlog is worth it.
Saundra Mitchell had an excellent post with ideas about getting involved with the online writing community. Sometimes it feels like a big insiders club, you know? But she's absolutely right that the MG/YA community has big open arms, so there's no reason to be nervous. Check out her post for tips.
Editor extraordinaire Martha Mihalick discusses why readers won't buy a love story based on character hotness. But she has some excellent tips for building believable romance like putting the love birds in awkward situations.
Author of The Demon's Lexicon Sarah Rees Brennan gave excellent advice to aspiring writers in a live chat. My favorite? "The beauty of writing is that no one will ever know how bad your first attempts are." I've said before write even if t's crap.
Fellow Foundry girl Lauren Oliver wrote an excellent piece on character development. Hint: it involves more than a laundry list description. One of her best points: there is a difference between a character's wants and needs and tension arises from that.
And I'm hearing the chat with Barbara Poelle and Holly Root is HIL-arious, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
What was your favorite event or advice from day 2?
It WAS hilarious! Watch it when you get time...worth it.
ReplyDelete