Trying to Do Everything

As a debut author, it's my first instinct to say yes. To every single interview, all the guest post requests, each and every giveaway. As a new writer with a new book, in a flood of well-established writers and books, I want to get SOME QUIET PLACE out there as much as possible. Which is why it was a hard-learned lesson, the fact that I can't do everything.

Sometimes we have to say no.

For a few weeks, it was chaos. I was attempting to respond to anyone mentioning me on Twitter, trying to say "yes" to all those e-mails, and all the while juggling school and work and having a life beyond my laptop. Then there was BEA and signings. Near the end of my trip, everything sort of buried me, and I cried. Actually cried. 

This may seem dramatic or, frankly, idiotic. "Why not just say no in the beginning, or when things got to be too much?" you might be asking. Honestly, I have been. It was hard and I hate disappointing anyone, but it's necessary. I came to the realization that - though it's important to be available and get exposure for the book - there needs to be a limit. There needs to be time for me to actually write the next book and maybe watch a Vampire Diaries rerun. There needs to be time for Kelsey the person, along with Kelsey the author. Don't get me wrong, I adore being both. At separate times, simultaneously, every day. It's when I forgot to pause and take a breath that things got gnarly.

So if you did send me a request, and I turned you down, I do apologize. It didn't feel good to say no. But it was right. Because when we try to do everything, we end up wanting to do nothing. And that's not fun for anyone. 

What Gets You Writing

Typically this would be a Writing Prompt Monday, but I thought I'd switch it up a bit. Writing prompts are supposed to help you get the creative juices flowing, inspire you. What I want to know is: What gets you writing?

I'll find myself in slumps where I won't write at all. We all go through this. Sometimes it'll be a few days, a week. Other times I'll go without writing for months, even. When I get to that point, I often find myself feeling really bad about the time I'm "wasting." I know you shouldn't feel bad about taking writing breaks, but that doesn't stop the guilt, does it?

When I get to that point where I'm just completely lost for words, I turn to books. This is when I go to the library and check out a crazy amount of books, and just sit at home and read. Without fail, after I've read a handful of really amazing books, I always feel pumped up to write again. They say you should read what you write in order to gain experience and help your writing grow. And I agree. But I also use that idea to get the YA creativity going. I find it enjoyable, and comforting to put myself in the middle of several stories/worlds to get myself back in the flow of writing.

Reading is the most inspiring thing to me. So what about you? What inspires you? Is it certain movies? TVshows? Music? Tell us about it in the comments section. Maybe this will help others to find ways to get inspired.

Cheers!

Author Interview: Sarah Skilton

It's author appreciation Thursday, and we have Sarah Skilton here with us on Secret Life! Sarah and I met through the Lucky 13s blog, and I was lucky enough to get an ARC of her book, BRUISED. When I saw how amazing of a writer this lady really is, I just had to know more about her. So without further ado, a glimpse into the intriguing mind of Sarah Skilton.

Can you tell us a little about your writing process? 

I like to brainstorm in a notebook by hand first, and jot down anything I'm considering for my new story. I take my time narrowing broad ideas into a basic plot, and then I do research for a while. When I was writing BRUISED, which concerns elements of PTSD, I read psychology textbooks as well as contemporary dramas. "Research" for me also means reading or re-reading books that inspire me. When I was writing my upcoming YA mystery (HIGH AND DRY, Spring 2014 from Amulet Books), I read a lot of crime fiction. 

What was the hardest part of writing BRUISED?

Finding a balance between the light and dark moments. 

What was your journey to publication like?

BRUISED went on submission the second half of 2010 and sold in January 2011, which sounds fast, but the journey up to that point was about a decade long of trying to make it as a screenwriter and writing novels that were unpublishable (and now live under my bed, rightfully so). :) I felt very lucky with BRUISED because my editor, Maggie Lehrman at Amulet, is a genius who helped me whip the story and characters into shape.

What is your favorite part of the writing/publishing process? 

I wish I were one of those people who loves writing first drafts, but I actually find them to be total agony. I much prefer to be revising what I've already written.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Don't hesitate to read outside your genre for fresh inspiration, and always write the story that you as a reader would most want to read!

Imogen has always believed that her black belt in Tae Kwon Do made her stronger than everyone else--more responsible, more capable. But when she witnesses a holdup in a diner, she freezes. The gunman is shot and killed by the police. And it's all her fault.

Now she's got to rebuild her life without the talent that made her special and the beliefs that made her strong. If only she could prove herself in a fight--a real fight--she might be able to let go of the guilt and shock. She's drawn to Ricky, another witness to the holdup, both romantically and because she believes he might be able to give her the fight she’s been waiting for.

But when it comes down to it, a fight won’t answer Imogen's big questions: What does it really mean to be stronger than other people? Is there such a thing as a fair fight? And can someone who's beaten and bruised fall in love?

Buy the book!

Sarah Skilton lives in California with her magician husband and toddler son. Her debut young adult novel, BRUISED, about a 16-year-old black belt in martial arts who freezes at an armed robbery, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Her second novel, a YA mystery called HIGH AND DRY, comes out next spring from Amulet Books.

www.sarahskilton.com

www.twitter.com/Sarah_Skilton

www.sarahskilton.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarah-Skilton-Writer/142255925852923

SeCrit #9

Hi lovelies!

Today we're taking a look at an entry that caught me from the first line. It references death, and I'm a sucker for death/murder/mayhem in novels. So here goes!

The first time I almost died happened on my sixteenth birthday.

The second might possibly be today.

At least it would be a decent day to die. Last time, it rained.

This time, with dawn yet to arrive, not a cloud obscured the sky. The wind sang through the trees surrounding the flat, bare stretch of land I knelt on. Sharp stones stabbed through my jeans, pricked my skin. Now, I remained calm, free of confusion and fear—well, I shouldn't bother with lying. Calm did not apply when the fear pulsing in my stomach made me feel a minute away from puking, but at least I'd skipped breakfast. 

I stared at a patch of dry weeds, their brittle ends swaying lightly. Such a normal sight, even here in Gaia, home of myth, legends, and secrets older than your grandmother. Home. This was home, even if I'd been forced to return from Earth, sequestered by the pride for a week, unknowing of their reasons for wanting me back.

Screw that. 

It wasn't reasons; try reason. Because Gaia residents didn't stay in the human world for two-years, which I did. Meaning they sure as hell didn't receive a homecoming, a warm welcome from the dragons, which I didn't. The most damning of all for me, though, boiled down to being acknowledged as one thing, and one thing only.

Human. 

I might look it, sound it—smell it? I sniffed my shoulder—but no mythical creature could be robbed of their true identity. 

Critique:

The first time I almost died happened on my sixteenth birthday. [So something about this first line sounds a little awkward. The concept is cool, but the way it's worded needs to be adjusted. It could be as simple as "The first time I almost died was on my sixteenth birthday." Or you could tell us what your character was doing on that day, like "The first time I almost died I was knitting a sweater on my sixteen birthday." etc.] 

The second might possibly be today. 

At least it would be a decent day to die. Last time, it rained. [Why would it have been a crappy to die on a rainy day? Does your character not like rainy days? We don't know him/her enough yet or this world to understand why that would suck. Was he/she outside when he/she almost died, and that's why it would suck? More detail, or possible change that detail.]

This time, with dawn yet to arrive, not a cloud obscured the sky. The wind sang through the trees surrounding the flat, bare stretch of land I knelt on. Sharp stones stabbed through my jeans, pricked my skin. Now, I remained calm, free of confusion and fear—well, I shouldn't bother with lying [I'm a little confused. Is...your character lying about being "free of confusion and fear"? We don't know him/her well enough yet to understand if he/she is being facetious, or if he/she is genuinely afraid and screwing with us. How about adding in some physical action or internal dialogue that will help us out. If he/she takes a deep breath, shoves her shaking hands in her pocket, or swallows down the sick feeling crawling up her throat, it'll help us understand if she really is scared or not.]. Calm did not apply when the fear pulsing in my stomach made me feel a minute away from puking, but at least I'd skipped breakfast. [Ah, there is it. So she really is scared. I suggest cutting out the "telling" part here. You don't actually have to tell us she's fearful for us to get the point. Giving your reader a physical action or a blip of internal dialogue will help us come to our own conclusions about what's going on here.]

I stared at a patch of dry weeds, their brittle ends swaying lightly. Such a normal sight, even here in Gaia, home of myth, legends, and secrets older than your grandmother. Home. This was home, even if I'd been forced to return from Earth, sequestered by the pride for a week, unknowing of their reasons for wanting me back.

Screw that. 

It wasn't reasons; try reason. Because Gaia residents didn't stay in the human world for two-years, which I did. Meaning they sure as hell didn't receive a homecoming, a warm welcome from the dragons, which I didn't. The most damning of all for me, though, boiled down to being acknowledged as one thing, and one thing only. [Okay, so I just got pulled out of this story a little bit. I'm pretty confused on all this backstory and the addition of a different planet, and dragons, and a pride of some sort? We don't need that information now. The only purpose of these first 250 words is to pull us into the story and keep us there. We don't need all of this world-building information yet.   If you start out this story with how today might be the day this character almost dies, then we need THAT information. We need some action. What is trying to kill her? Is she running from something? You don't even have to fully explain what it is if it's a weird creature of some sort. You can just give us the essential details about that and get back to the action part of the story. That's what will pull your reader in. The backstory, that stuff can be sprinkled through later.]

Human. 

I might look it, sound it—smell it? I sniffed my shoulder—but no mythical creature could be robbed of their true identity.  [Interesting! I'm curious about this. Maybe you can introduce this part in the context of whatever is trying to kill your MC today.]


And there you have it, folks! What do you think, Secret Lifers? Do you agree with me? Or did I miss something? Comment below to add in your suggestions! And thanks to everyone who submitted this week. If we didn't get you this time, we'll try to catch you in our upcoming rounds. 

Being on Submission: That Thing You're Not Supposed To Talk About

Hello, Secret Life Friends!

Today we're going to talk about that one thing no one really talks about. A little thing called "submission." Yep. That major thing inbetween getting an agent and getting your book published. Yanno. NBD.

So here's the thing: technically you're not supposed to talk about being on submission with editors. Being that I'm in a position to share my experience, I thought I would take this opportunity while I can before (when) I sign with another agent and obligated to keep mum on the subject.

Here's the biggest question I get about submission: Why do you have to keep it a secret?

There are some agents that don't care whether you talk about sub or not. I'm not sure why they're okay with it and not others, but I suppose it just depends on who you signed with. The biggest reason most agents don't want you discussing it openly on Twitter and such is because 1) It's a business. What happens between you and your agent is professional, and not anything that should be shared with others outside of the agency. (Aside from close friends who know how to keep big secrets.) 2) It's like a game of poker. You don't show the other players your cards, right? Exactly. Editors check your Twitter feed just like an agent would before they sign you. They want to see what you're all about. If you expose the details of being on submission and all the rejections you're racking up, what makes you think an editor is going to be like: "Oh. No one's acquiring it. Now is my time to offer." Not so much.

You don't want to share too much that's going to sway an editor one way or another. Even if you're getting all kinds of requests. I know this information is super exciting and you want to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS. But guess what? Sometimes it's best to wait it out and keep the mystery. Leave them WANTING to know more as opposed to you laying it all out for them on some social network.

Now that that's said. Let's talk about the submission process. Ooh, the dreaded submission process. Look, sometimes people sell books within a week. It's totally possible. But let's not psyche yourself up for such a low blow. I admit. I totally did this. But the harsh reality is: Not everyone sells their first agent-ed manuscript in a week. Some people don't sell that first book at all.

Submission is an extremely long process that could take several months to a year. You might get an editor looking for you to R&R, and then you do and they pass anyway. Sometimes you don't sell a book until your third, or fourth, or even your tenth. That's just how it is.

Editors request material every day. It can take them a really long time to get to it, just like it took your agent eight weeks to offer. Sometimes you'll go weeks or months without a request or pass, and feel completely in the dark, not knowing where your book stands at all. It's like a black hole that has no end until that moment your agent calls and says: "We have an offer." or "I think it's time we put it away."

This happens. The one thing you have to remember to do is KEEP WRITING. Always. Always keep writing, you guys. You never know which book is going to be the one. And if you stop and think that your first book on sub is going to be the one, then you are going to feel even worse if it's not and you don't have another manuscript ready to sub. You always want to be a step ahead of the game. Always be prepared for the 'what if.' This is going to save you so much, I don't want to say heartache, but time. Because all that time you spend feeling bad about your writing, you could be finishing another manuscript and getting back out there!

If there's one thing I learned about submission, it's to never stop writing. Because one of these days, my friends, my persistence will make me a published author. And I won't look back and see my time as wasted, but as a great form of determination. Only you can make it happen. So don't give up. Never give up.

Writerly Wednesday: The Secrets to Writing a Page-Turning Manuscript

Hey lovelies! It's been too long. Let's have an awkward hug before we get on to today's post, shall we?

There we go. That's nice, isn't it?

Right, so, today is Writerly Wednesday, and I wanted to talk about something craft-related--something that hopefully you guys will find useful. I decided on pacing mostly because that's one thing that FALLS THE SHADOW got consistent thumbs up on, from the agent querying to the editor submission stage, so I'm going to pretend that means I know what I'm doing in this department, and if you guys could play along that would be great. Okay? Okay!

A quick disclaimer: anytime you're reading writing advice, you should be aware that it comes with a bias, and that these things are all subjective. One person's idea of good writing isn't another's, what's good for one genre isn't necessarily good for another, and so on and so forth. So, my bias? I write commercial fiction, I don't think "commercial" is a dirty word, and slow-moving books like, say, MOBY DICK, make me want to bash my head into the wall. I also write YA largely because, as a very general rule, they tend to be quicker paced, and I love that. Another disclaimer: pacing is a HUGE topic, so obviously this isn't a rundown of How to Have Great Pacing in Every Book You Write. It's more of a general overview, some ideas, tips, tricks, etc...

Anyway, I've decided to break this down into three sections: Overall pacing, chapter pacing, and sentence level pacing. Being aware of all of these things will hopefully help you to better keep readers flipping the pages--while at the same time not moving so overwhelmingly quickly that you lose them, as that's just as important. To me, pacing is a sort of precarious balancing act--it's up to you as the writer to find the right "balance" for your particular story, but my goal with this post is to at least give you a starting point.

Overall Pacing

• A large portion of genre fiction (again, what I have experience writing) adheres to the trusted "three-act-structure" that you've all probably heard of before. You've probably seen that diagram too, with the triangle or whatever, representing things such as set-up, confrontation, and resolution. It seems formulaic (does my story really have to follow this? I want to be different! blah blah), and that's because it is. And I don't think a well-plotted and paced story has to adhere completely to this structure, but it is a good reference point. An even better reference, perhaps, is this beat sheet for novels, based on the popular Save the Cat! book on screenwriting. You can use this as a rough guide to see if you're taking too long to introduce your main conflict, your characters, to prevent sagging middles, etc... It's helpful if you're an outliner/plotter like me, but you could also use it during revision when you're tightening things up.

• Balance, balance, balance. As I mentioned before, good pacing doesn't necessarily mean faster faster faster. It means alternating between slowing down and speeding up, keeping readers excited but also allowing them to catch their breath every now and then. Action and explosions and gunfights are all well and good, but if we don't get the chance to slow down and connect with your characters, then no one's going to care whether they survive all that action or not. And in the end, even if readers make it all the way to the end of your book, if it's all action and no substance, then they probably aren't going to remember anything about it a week later. Think of action scenes like fireworks: they explode into the book, dazzle the reader and keep their attention, but they fade quickly to smoke, and then to nothing. When I think back to last fourth of July, mostly I remember the people I watched the fireworks with, our conversations, the thoughts I had while sitting in the wet grass, etc...--so don't leave those parts out!

Chapter-Level Pacing:

• Starting and ending your chapters in the right place is a great way to keep your story moving forward at an engaging pace. One piece of advice I try to stick to when deciding on chapter structure is to "start as late as you can and get out as early as you can". Look at your WIP's chapters. Do they sort of meander a bit before getting to the meat of the scene(s)? Do they ramble on at the end? I'm guilty of doing both of those things, a lot. Whenever I'm trying to cut words from a manuscript, this is a great place to look for "filler" words that can probably go. Think of chapter breaks as scene breaks in a movie; and the great thing about scene breaks is that you can pick up wherever you need to (with the proper sentence or two of transition, of course). It's harder to jump around time-frame wise in the middle of chapters, but readers will be less thrown off if you do it on a chapter level, so use that to your advantage!

• Cliff-hangers at the end of chapters are a great tool to use--just be careful about overdoing it, because it can start to feel melodramatic and cheesy. Try alternating the level of cliffhanger you use--some can be big and dramatic (your main character turning and finding themselves with a gun pointed at them), whereas others might just be little questions or "hooks" that you plant in the readers mind (your mc wondering if she's ever going to see his/her lost love again).

• Readers should finish every chapter thinking that something about the story, the character, the world of the book, etc... has been irrevocably changed. Call it the "Law of Escalation". Things should constantly be in a state of flux for your character. They may move one step forward every now and then, but then they fall two steps back, over and over until they reach that ultimate low point and your story's eventual climax. If things start to feel static, you run the risk of drifting attention spans and people closing your book and never opening it again.

Sentence Level Pacing

I love flourishing as much as any writer when a scene calls for it, but in general, concise and efficient writing can go a long way towards keeping readers interested. Unless you're going for things like atmosphere, the occasional well-placed emotional melt-down,  etc...(and even sometimes in those cases) don't use twenty words when you can say the same thing with five. Every single one of your words should pull as much weight as possible, and anytime sentences can do double duty, it's usually a good thing. What I mean by double is, say you're describing setting. Instead of just a static, straightforward description like

"The rug was an awful shade of army green, and it smelled like cigarettes."  

Consider tying that description in with a bit of characterization, backstory, etc...

"The rug was the same army green color of the jacket my father used to wear--it even shared his trademark cigarette smell, which made me want to gag."

A quick, terriblish example, but notice how the second sentence does more than one thing, while still conveying the setting details. That's efficient writing, and as an added bonus it generally gives the work a more collected, intricate feel.

A caveat to this: the first example has a place too. If you're writing a really really tense scene, then you probably don't actually want to bog it down with your character's memories, thoughts, etc... too much, because then it becomes unrealistic. If your character just walked into a gunfight, they probably aren't going to be reminiscing about how the wallpaper in the room reminds them of their childhood home (unless they fall into the category of Too-Stupid-To-Live). They probably aren't going to notice much about the setting at all, actually. It just comes down to knowing your story, and knowing what you're trying to accomplish with each scene you're writing.

So, a lot of it's on you to interpret, in other words-- but I've made one last thing to help you out: a chart. Hooray charts! This will maybe give you something concrete to reference if you've got a section that feels too slow or too fast, and you need to edit accordingly.

Stefanie Gaither writes YA novels about killer clones and spaceships, with the occasional romp with dragons and magic-users thrown in for good measure. Said writing is generally fueled by an obscene amount of coffee and chocolate, as well as the occasional tennis and/or soccer break. She's represented by Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary, and her debut novel, FALLS THE SHADOW, is forthcoming from Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers in 2014. You can add it on Goodreads here!

You can find her on Twitter @: https://twitter.com/stefaniegaither

Or drop her an email at: stefanie.gaither@gmail.com

And also visit her website @: www.stefaniegaither.com 

Writing Prompt

I think this is going to be a fun one, guys. As you might know, I really like writing fun characters so I thought I'd continue with that whole thing in this post. Here you go:

Found this on Pinterest when I searched for "circus" which, in retrospect, might not have been the best idea since I flipping hate clowns.

Here's what I came up with:

Ruth bowed her head against the pouring rain and hugged her suitcase to her chest. "Are you sure about this, Leona?" she yelled over a particularly loud rumble of thunder. 

Our clothes were soaked through and I was pretty sure I'd never have warm feet again, but I couldn't let Ruth know how unsure I felt about the whole thing at that moment. "Don't worry. We're doing the right thing. There was no place for us back home. You know that."

"I know, but I think we might be lost. In the rain. In the middle of the night. That can't be good." Her foot slipped in the slick grass then and she almost went down. I caught her arm though and helped her right herself.

"We're not lost. We can't get lost as long as we follow the train tracks. We'll come upon something soon, I'm sure of it. A town or a station. Something has to turn up."

We'd been walking all day, stopping every once in a while to rest and nibble on the snacks we'd brought with us. Everything was fine earlier. It was even fun, like we were starting on our own grand adventure, but now I just hoped we'd make it out alive.

I pushed those thoughts aside and turned to tell Ruth a joke or at least give her another hopeful remark. She was my best friend and there was no way I could make this journey without her. But she wasn't there. She'd stopped a little ways back, plopped her suitcase on the ground, and sat on it, arms crossed.

I slipped and stumbled my way back to her and noticed a familiar stubborn scowl on her face.

"I won't go another step! I want to go home!" Earlier her brown curls had peeked out from beneath her cap, bouncing mischievously, but now they were plastered to her cheeks in wet, wavy lines. 

I wanted to be angry at her for giving up, but I knew exactly how she felt. I dropped my suitcase with a huff and faced forward. Only the cold, dark night awaited us. A star twinkled in the distance and I almost wished on it before I realized it couldn't possibly be a star. 

It was a light.

"Ruth. Ruth! Look! There's something up there!"

She perked up at that and came to stand next to me, squinting ahead. I grabbed my suitcase and sprinted toward the light. Ruth's footfalls soon caught up to me. As the light grew closer, many more joined it. That's when I realized what we were running towards: a circus.

Now it's your turn! Leave the link to your piece in the comments so we can all jump around and marvel at everyone's different takes on this fun picture!

Editor Interview: Erica Chapman of Entangled Publishing

Hi, lovelies! 

I decided to do something different today for our Thursday interview. Instead of interviewing an author, I decided to talk to my friend and editor at Entangled, Erica Chapman. If you don't know Erica, you're mucho missing out. Not only is she adorable and funny, but she's full of all sorts of publishing smarts. 

Alright, take it away, Erica! 

Tell us a little about how you ended up being an editor for Entangled. What was that process like?I've always had mad respect for editors, but always thought I wasn't in a place where I could be an actual editor. I was an agent intern, but I learned SO much as an intern that I thought maybe I stood a chance. I talked with a friend who worked for Entangled and they suggested I apply. So I emailed my resume and cover letter to Liz's assistant and she sent a test to me. It was a short story. I was asked to edit it and send it back. I didn't hear anything for a few months and thought for sure I didn't get the job, but I was wrong, they were just a little behind and I got the job! I also talked to Liz on the phone so she could hear my voice, get to know me, find out my interests. I was still a bit shocked I got it ;o)

What about a story really catches your eye when you're editing? Is it different than what catches your eye as a reader? I love the voice. I know. I know. But honestly, that's what pulls me in. I also love when the character and the love interest (if there is one) hate each other. I love watching two unlikely people come together. I also love emotion. I love to FEEL what's happening. I can tell right away if I'm going to like something. It only takes a page or so. I still read past that, but my gut's usually right ;o) It's not really different from the way I am as a reader. My attention span is short. As a reader, I often read the first few pages of several books at a time and see what catches my attention. On my first read I try not to separate the reader/editor part.

How does being an editor impact your own writing? Your own reading?I'm definitely a better writer. I could also attribute this back to being an intern for agent, Louise Fury of L. Perkins Agency, in addition to being an associate editor at Entangled. The main thing I've learned is about structure. I now know what door the MC has to go in and when they need to reach the point of no return, when the climax should happen and who should be involved. It's kind of crazy once you figure it out. I'll tell you what has changed. I don't watch movies the same anymore. I see the structure in them and I never used to be able to do that. Reading has remained pretty much the same. I haven't lost the ability to lose myself in a good book, which I am extremely thankful for ;o)

For people wanting to submit to Entangled, what's your biggest piece of advice? Read in your genre. A lot of what I've seen has already been done. It's okay to do the same as what's out there, but you better have a unique twist. On that note, in the query, make sure to highlight that thing that makes your story unique. Remember you are selling us on your book, not summarizing it. Also, make sure to have good readers, CP's, Betas, people to tell you the tell vs. show, pacing issues, plot holes. The writing is what matters. Many might not know, but with Entangled's new submittable software, you can attach your entire MS, so make sure it's ready!

For people wanting to work for Entangled, either as an intern or an editor, how should they get started in that process? There's an employment tab on the Entangled website so I would consult that first. Make sure you have some experience. Being an intern is a great way to get experience before becoming an editor. Being a reader/critique partner to another writer is another great way to gain experience, but I would suggest something professional that you can add to your resume. I also edited in several of my day jobs too. If you work somewhere during the day, try and ask if anyone needs anything edited; newsletters, corporate emails. Whatever you can get. Use that experience too. I've also seen several agents/pubs that look for interns, so keep your eyes open for opportunities. Talk to people on twitter or facebook, find out who is looking for someone. I was recommended for both my internship and for the Entangled job, but my skill got me through the door.

Now tell us a little about your own writing! What are you working on right now? Well, now that TEACH ME TO FORGET my YA contemporary is out to the masses, I've had a ton of ideas pop into my head. Right now I'm working on another YA contemporary about a girl who lost her boyfriend the same night she cheated on him, and after that I'll be revising another YA contemporary, and then I'll be working on a YA thriller about a girl trapped in a house with her parent religious killers. I also have a revision somewhere in there for another MS. LOL. So it's safe to say I'll be busy for the next year or so and won't need any new ideas for a while!


Thanks, Erica! If you can't get enough of Erica (there's never enough, by the way) you can check out her over at Entangled, on Twitter, or her blog. 

Andrea Hannah is a YA writer represented by Victoria Marini of Gelfman Schneider. She writes stories about criminals, crazy people, and creatures that may or may not exist. When she's not writing, Andrea teaches special education, runs, spends time with her family, and tries to figure out a way to prevent her pug from opening the refrigerator (still unsuccessful). Oh, and she tweets a bajillion times a day, mostly about inappropriate things. 

You can find her on Twitter @: http://twitter.com/andeehannah

Drop her an email @: andeehannah@gmail.com
And visit her website @: http://www.andreahannah.com/

SeCrit #8 (First 250)

Dear Secret Critiquer, 

Whenever I envisioned coming face to face with my family's murderers, the scene always took place in a courtroom or jailhouse, complete with dramatic tears on my part and pleas for forgiveness on theirs. They would confess their sins, tell me why they had broken into my house that summer night and killed my parents and my brother, and I'd be able to move on with my life. After four years of unfounded hope, I resigned myself to never finding the closure I desperately needed, and vowed to forget about the past and focus on my future.

It turned out I hadn't been thinking low enough, because the scene wasn't nearly that dramatic. I finally found two of the killers during something as mundane as a corporate takeover.

The day started off normally enough. The Detour landed on Psyche, a mining colony in the asteroid belt, just after local dawn. The ship's cargo hold was filled to the brim with perishable food items transported all the way from Earth, earning the crew much-needed funds on this trip. I entered the hold as soon as the Detour was secured at the gate, and proceeded to scan the supplies before they were taken off the ship. It was our typical routine for landing and unloading on a colony, and after five years I was an old pro at it.

I worked for Rodriguez Shipping, a small food distribution company owned by my pseudo-uncle, John. When I was younger, I never imagined having this sort of career.

Critique: 

Dear Secret Critiquer, 

Whenever I envisioned coming face to face with my family's murderers, the scene always took place in a courtroom or jailhouse, complete with dramatic tears on my part and pleas for forgiveness on theirs. (Great first line. You definitely have my attention. I'm curious to know the timeline here. How long ago were they murdered? How? Why? It definitely strikes interest, and that's a good thing!) They would confess their sins, tell me why they had broken into my house that summer night (What summer night? When? This sentence is a little too vague. Give us a timeline to work with.) and killed my parents and my brother, and I'd be able to move on with my life. After four years of unfounded hope, (Okay NOW we have a timeline. I would maybe fit this into the previous sentence. Also, what happened with the killers? Were they not found? Why didn't anything happen? I feel like something should have happened after four years.) I resigned myself to never finding the closure I desperately needed, and vowed to forget about the past and focus on my future. (This is kind of asking a lot. I mean her whole family was brutally killed, the MC got zero closure, and now they're moving on with their life? That seems too easy. Make us feel the pain. Why should we care about this character? We need more to really get a feel for her/his situation.)

It turned out I hadn't been thinking low enough, because the scene wasn't nearly that dramatic. I finally found two of the killers during something as mundane as a corporate takeover. (How did she/he find them? Why not leave it to the police? And if she/he is a teenager, how did they find the killers during a corporate takeover? We need more information to connect with the story.) 

The day started off normally enough. The Detour landed on Psyche, a mining colony in the asteroid belt, just after local dawn. (I'm a little confused here. If this is sci-fi, I feel as though you should set up the world building a little sooner so we don't jump right into something we can't quite picture. Up until this point this story could take place at any point in time. Present, past, etc. Tell us what year it is. Give us details that explain the world so that when this sentence comes up, we have a better idea of the time/place.) The ship's cargo hold was filled to the brim with perishable food items transported all the way from Earth, earning the crew much-needed funds on this trip. I entered the hold as soon as the Detour was secured at the gate, and proceeded to scan the supplies before they were taken off the ship. It was our typical routine for landing and unloading on a colony, and after five years I was an old pro at it. (So it's been four years after her family was murdered. Now it's been five years including those four? Did she grow up on this ship?)

I worked for Rodriguez Shipping, a small food distribution company owned by my pseudo-uncle, John. When I was younger, I never imagined having this sort of career. (I think it's very important for you to set up the stage in more detail. First we have a bomb dropped on us about her/his whole family being killed, and now we're set up on a ship being told a backstory. Let us take in the fact that this person has lost their entire family. Make us feel what she feels. She/he must be lost and struggling with all sorts of emotions. Describe her life up until this point. It doesn't have to be super long or info dumpy, but something that gives us a better idea of who this person is before ripping us away from the conflict.)

This manuscript has a very strong opening and an intriguing premise. It only needs a little tweaking to make the audience understand where the main character is coming from. Thank you so much for participating in SeCrit! 

And thank you so much to everyone who submitted their first 250! Be on the lookout for more critiques coming from Life of Writers. Share your thoughts on this entry in the comments below.