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Write At Home Moms - October - Page 3

post #41 of 70
10/13/10 at 8:29pm
hey mamas. i'm so jazzed. i've finished the first draft of my MG novel!!!!! woo-hoo!!! around 35,000 words at this point, still a ton of work to do, but it feels GREAT!!!!

i also just picked up another creative writing-for-hire client which sounds like it's going to be super fun. yay!

i'm not doing NaNo, since i want to stick with this project i'm already on. but i can't wait to hear how it goes for you all.

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post #42 of 70
10/13/10 at 9:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MommyHawk View Post
what exactly does a mother's helper do? housework? or take care of the kids?
Keeps my kids out of my hair! She does all the kid-watching stuff a babysitter would do. The differences are that I'm here the whole time (just hiding out in another room), and that she's 11, so really too young to babysit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crafty View Post
Three rejections so far. But I'm keeping on keeping on...
Keep it up!



I just finished the hopefully for-real-final draft of the last chapter of my novel... which is now up to 97,000 words. Eeek. I can't believe I actually strung that many words together in a coherent fashion. A few months ago before the 6-9 months sleep deprivation phase of DS's life, I'd asked a couple writer friends to do a final read for me, so I've dropped them email asking if they're still willing. Crossing my fingers!

I tapped out 400ish words of chapter 5 in book 2 on my phone this morning while DS was napping. Maybe I'll just pretend my NaNo started on October 1 and runs through November 30. It would be AWESOME if I could finish a 50k word draft by then.
post #43 of 70
10/14/10 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aufilia View Post
Maybe I'll just pretend my NaNo started on October 1 and runs through November 30. It would be AWESOME if I could finish a 50k word draft by then.
I'm with you. I just started a new manuscript, and I am determined to have 50K by the end of November. All I have to do is to maintain 1K a day.
post #44 of 70
10/14/10 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aufilia View Post
I just finished the hopefully for-real-final draft of the last chapter of my novel... which is now up to 97,000 words. Eeek. I can't believe I actually strung that many words together in a coherent fashion. A few months ago before the 6-9 months sleep deprivation phase of DS's life, I'd asked a couple writer friends to do a final read for me, so I've dropped them email asking if they're still willing. Crossing my fingers!
awesome!!!! are you going to start querying it? do i remember correctly that it's sci-fi? or is that someone else? anyway, congratulations!
post #45 of 70
10/14/10 at 9:17pm
Wow! Finishing books!! Awesome!!! Congrats to both of you!!!! There must be something in the air; I finished my most recent book this week too. It was deadline week and I spent about 16 hours working on Tuesday and even emailed my agent that morning to let her know the book was coming that day as a bit of added accountability. It was a loooooong day but I have this huge weight off my shoulders from getting it in! Now I can settle in and get ready to have this baby.
post #46 of 70
10/15/10 at 4:53pm
Well, I subbed 3 poems last night, and started working on another, searching old markets I meant to sub to before, etc. this thread is giving me inspiration!
post #47 of 70
10/16/10 at 1:09am
Thread Starter 
Joy, I missed your note earlier this week that you'd finished the draft of your MG novel -- awesome!

You remember right -- my novel is fantasy.

I did submit this one to 5 or 6 agents last fall. They all rejected me but 2 wrote back nice notes suggesting that I try to make my MC a little more likable in the first couple chapters. Since they both said basically the same thing I decided it was worth pulling back and revising a bit. And then of course I had a baby, so I did very, very little at all until recently. And then I had a brilliant idea for "fixing" the ending, so I worked on that.

Since I've done a lot of revisions without extra eyes, I recruited 2 published buddies to look it over for me, and sent it off to both of them yesterday. Now I'm waaaaiting.

I do have an editor's business card burning a hole in my wallet. As soon as I review any feedback from my friends it's going straight to him and maybe back to 1 of the agents, since one of them said she'd look at it again if I revised.

Maprilynne - Go you! 16 hours is a heckofa long day (especially while pregnant).
post #48 of 70
10/16/10 at 11:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aufilia View Post
Joy, I missed your note earlier this week that you'd finished the draft of your MG novel -- awesome!

You remember right -- my novel is fantasy.

I did submit this one to 5 or 6 agents last fall. They all rejected me but 2 wrote back nice notes suggesting that I try to make my MC a little more likable in the first couple chapters. Since they both said basically the same thing I decided it was worth pulling back and revising a bit. And then of course I had a baby, so I did very, very little at all until recently. And then I had a brilliant idea for "fixing" the ending, so I worked on that.

Since I've done a lot of revisions without extra eyes, I recruited 2 published buddies to look it over for me, and sent it off to both of them yesterday. Now I'm waaaaiting.

I do have an editor's business card burning a hole in my wallet. As soon as I review any feedback from my friends it's going straight to him and maybe back to 1 of the agents, since one of them said she'd look at it again if I revised.

Maprilynne - Go you! 16 hours is a heckofa long day (especially while pregnant).
Wow!! Personal feedback within your first ten queries?!?! I am impressed!!! It sounds like you've really got something good going! Congrats and good luck!
post #49 of 70
10/17/10 at 12:28pm

I'm so excited to find this group!

Hi everyone! I'm so happy to find you all. I am a full time mom, part time employed and full time writer! I would love to hear how others find time for it all. I'm writing a book (3/4 done, I hope) and haven't found an agent or publisher yet and writing a blog too. Any suggestions about finding an agent would be great. Thanks!!
post #50 of 70
10/17/10 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carol7906 View Post
Hi everyone! I'm so happy to find you all. I am a full time mom, part time employed and full time writer! I would love to hear how others find time for it all. I'm writing a book (3/4 done, I hope) and haven't found an agent or publisher yet and writing a blog too. Any suggestions about finding an agent would be great. Thanks!!
hi Carol, welcome! what do you write? i don't have an agent yet, but there is a ton of information on the web about finding an agent. www.querytracker.net is a great resource for narrowing down the agents that represent what you write and are accepting clients. there are lots of discussions about specific agencies at Absolute Write Water Cooler (a discussion board for writers). most agents these days have websites and many even have blogs so you can get a good feel for who they are. i am personally working on a list of good matches, so I can start querying when I am ready.
post #51 of 70
10/17/10 at 8:21pm
Has anyone ever lost their manuscript due to computer problems or something of the sort?

I'm a little lost, since my hard drive crushed a few months ago, my favorite story is gone, and I'm pining after it. Anyone has any good tips on getting over it? I only have short bits and pieces of it left. It will be a pain to recover. UGH!!!!

I'm trying to keep myself occupied with a new project. I'm writing a reflection on education, but it doesn't seem to fill in the void. I miss my characters.
post #52 of 70
10/18/10 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by carol7906 View Post
Hi everyone! I'm so happy to find you all. I am a full time mom, part time employed and full time writer! I would love to hear how others find time for it all. I'm writing a book (3/4 done, I hope) and haven't found an agent or publisher yet and writing a blog too. Any suggestions about finding an agent would be great. Thanks!!
I second querytracker.com, but I also REALLY love agentquery.com.
post #53 of 70
10/20/10 at 12:53am
Thread Starter 
Carol -- Hi and welcome! Tell us about your book? The sites already listed are great. I also read a bunch of agent blogs while I was working on my query. Some of the agents I was reading wouldn't even be interested in what I was writing, but their insights into the agenting process were still interesting.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maprilynne View Post
Wow!! Personal feedback within your first ten queries?!?! I am impressed!!! It sounds like you've really got something good going! Congrats and good luck!
I hope so. Though I'm pretty sure my query really IS more awesome than the manuscript itself. (And both are more awesome than the synopsis, which is just so-so.) I spent months and months obsessing about queries and must've re-written mine at least 50 times.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Oriole View Post
I'm a little lost, since my hard drive crushed a few months ago, my favorite story is gone, and I'm pining after it. Anyone has any good tips on getting over it? I only have short bits and pieces of it left. It will be a pain to recover. UGH!!!!
Oh, no!! I'm pretty sure if I lost something I loved, I would be convinced for the rest of my life it was the best thing I'd ever, ever written. Totally not helpful, am I?
post #54 of 70
10/20/10 at 8:46pm
Oriole, I'm real sorry about the loss of your story. I probably wouldn't attempt a new project for a while, if that were me. Maybe some poetry?
post #55 of 70
10/20/10 at 8:49pm
Oh, what do you all think a reasonable amount of turnover time is for the first readers (critiquers) of a 90,000 word manuscript?

I'm feeling a wee tad impatient.
post #56 of 70
10/21/10 at 1:15pm

needed this!

Thanks all! I love to write but I have to FORCE myself to carve out time for it. I have a 2.5 yo and 2 month old and just need to muscle my way into my own time. My hubby is a farmer, so right now is BUSY with harvest. But hopefully once he is done with corn, we can talk about a serious schedule for childcare that will free me up a bit. My wonderful mom-in-law lives 5 minutes away and takes the kids when I need her to as well.

Anyway, back to my thank you Just needed to read through some posts from moms who love to write and WAH. I needed to be reminded of how life-giving and fulfilling WAH can be!!
post #57 of 70
10/21/10 at 9:24pm
[QUOTE=Aufilia;15964118]Carol -- Hi and welcome! Tell us about your book? The sites already listed are great. I also read a bunch of agent blogs while I was working on my query. Some of the agents I was reading wouldn't even be interested in what I was writing, but their insights into the agenting process were still interesting.

Hey all,
Thanks for the info about agents online. I'm writing a book for foster and adoptive parents. I'm planning on spending part of Xmas break concentrating on writing...hope I'm not too distracted. Thanks everyone for your support!!
post #58 of 70
10/22/10 at 1:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JennyClaire View Post
Oh, what do you all think a reasonable amount of turnover time is for the first readers (critiquers) of a 90,000 word manuscript?

I'm feeling a wee tad impatient.
been there (with plays). it's so hard. Anne Lamott talks about dropping off her manuscript at the post office (pre-email) and then being absolutely convinced by the time she gets home that they HATE it, even though they obviously haven't even gotten it yet.

i don't know, 90,000 words is pretty long. i'd give at least a few weeks before i nudged via email.
post #59 of 70
10/24/10 at 6:26pm
ATTENTION LURKERS: i just noticed how many views this thread has, compared to how many responses!!!! come out of the writing closet! we all need support and commiseration. it doesn't matter if you're not getting paid, or haven't ever shown your work to anyone, or whatever other reason might make you think you're not legit. if you're putting pen to paper (or, you know, finger to keyboard), join us!! please!
post #60 of 70
10/24/10 at 6:48pm
I'm a proposal and grant writer.

I used to write poetry, and my MFA work is in creative writing. Just de-lurking and subscribing. I enjoy reading everyone's posts.
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