What's involved in being a Campaigner?

For those of you who haven't taken part in a Campaign (previously called "Crusades") before, I thought I would write a post letting you know what to expect before my Third Campaign kicks off on August 22nd.

In a nutshell, my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign is a way for you to meet your fellow bloggers and get to know them better, while at the same time getting support in your blogging. It's also a way for you to increase your followers (though please don't join just for that, this is about networking and platform-building rather than increasing follower numbers). 

The Campaigners are people who genuinely want to meet others, pay it forward, and make connections with other bloggers. This therefore gives you a pool of bloggers (some starting out, some established) who you know are in the same position. You can make friends, find critique partners, get support in your writing etc etc - basically, it's up to you. For those bloggers who are just starting out (and even those who've been blogging for a while), the Campaign gives you a head start in finding other like-minded bloggers to connect with.

Campaigners will join Groups based on genres (and a few other fun things), and there will be Campaigner Challenges for everyone to take part in as well. And there'll be a badge (with a new design, woot!) to put up on your blog as well.

If you want to become a Campaigner:

Keep an eye out for my post on Monday August 22nd and follow the directions. Remember to join between August 22nd and August 31st, because I'll be closing the List of Campaigners on August 31st so Campaigners can get to know each other better.

Once you are a Campaigner:

• follow other Campaigner in your Group(s), pop round to their blogs, and introduce yourself
• if you wish, pop round to some or all of the other Campaigners and introduce yourself as well
• join in on the Twitter chat at #amcampaigning
• join in on the Yahoo Campaigner Group
• keep an eye out for the Campaigner Notice-Board on Fridays, where I'll post about blogfests and other announcements concerning Campaigners
• put the Campaigner button on your blog sidebar and link it back to my Writers' Platform-Building Campaign page at the top of Rach Writes...
• keep an eye out for posts by other Campaigners in your Campaign Group, and do your best to comment on as many as you can, as often as you can. This is one of the key ways Campaigners will help each other out and pay it forward
• join in the Campaigner Challenges if you wish. It's a great way to get to know the other Crusaders and have fun at the same time, and there'll be prizes too!

Can't wait to see you all in the Third Campaign!!!

Only three weeks until my Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign!!!

I can't believe how fast this year has raced by. Which means in *checks calendar* three weeks exactly, my Third Writers' Platform-Building Campaign* will begin.

If you haven't heard about my Campaigns (formerly called "Crusades"), pop over here and check them out. Basically, I run them twice a year, and they're a great way to network with and get to know writers in the community, including those who write in your particular genre.

My Campaigns are open to all writers, whether published or unpublished, adult or kidlit. At the start of the Campaign, you'll signing up for Campaigner Groups via Linky Links. The groups are based on the genre(s) you write, and this lets you develop connections with those you have the most in common with.

I'll be encouraging you to follow those Campaigners in your own Group(s) (NOT all Campaigners as was the case last time, as the numbers have simply grown too big).

The Third Campaign will begin on Monday 22nd August (the week after WriteOnCon for all those kidlit writers), and will run until October 31st. I'll be closing the List of Campaigners on August 31st, so only those who join between the 22nd and the 31st will be able to become Campaigners - this will let you get to know the people in your Groups better.

I'll be running some Campaigner Challeges during my Third Campaign, which should be heaps of fun. And there'll be the chance to win prizes as well!

If you haven't taken part before, next Monday I'll tell you all about what you can expect if you sign up for the Campaign. If you're keen to know right now, here's the post I wrote about it for the last Campaign (though remember the part about following all Campaigners no longer applies).

I'm so excited about this - can't wait to see you all on board.



* If you missed my announcement about the name change, see here.

Regarding the name (an important announcement to all Crusaders (both past and future))

While I don't normally become involved in political issues, the recent massacre in Norway has caused me to reconsider the name of my Writers' Platform-Building Crusade. While I fully stand behind the intention and aims of my Crusade (which are to provide an ongoing networking opportunity for all writers), and while I still intend to run my next Crusade in August as planned, I would hate to think that, by using the word "Crusade," I'm in any way being seen to support the actions of someone with such a radical and despicable viewpoint. Or anyone else who uses that word in a negative way.

In light of this, and out of respect for the people who've so recently lost their lives, I'm planning to "rebrand" my Crusade - and change it to the Writers' Platform-Building Campaign. I'll be taking down my "I'm a Crusader" badge, and replacing it with a new badge, which I'll unveil when my newest Campaign begins on 22 August. I'll no longer be referring to you as Crusaders - I rather think Campaigners has a nice ring to it! Or do you have any other suggestions for an alternative name for us?

I must say, it makes me really sad as a writer to feel I have to question if a word is used because of negative connotations associated with it. But in this case, I believe it's necessary.

ETA: I'm not by any means saying I now believe the word "Crusade" can't be used in a positive way. Nor am I trying to impose a taboo on the word or responding to others who may be trying to make the word taboo. I'm simply saying that, for me and in this instance, I've made the decision to change the name.

How about you: Would you change the name if you were in my position? Have you ever had to use a different word/change a word because of its negative connotations?

Do you use the Writer's Knowledge Base?

Do all of you know about the awesome Writer's Knowledge Base that Elizabeth Spann Craig has put together? In her words, the WKB is "a free resource for writers to find the information they need for their particular stage of the writing journey…with 9000 links to search (and more added every day.)"

Jami Gold recently interviewed Elizabeth here, and it's fascinating to read about the process Elizabeth went through to (1) realize that we as writers need a dedicated knowledge base, and (2) put one together. For free, and in her own time too!!! As she says:

"[W]riters need different information at different times.  When they’re writing a first draft, they need plotting help.  When writers hit a wall, they want inspirational posts. When they revise, they’d like editing tips.  When they’re querying…well, you get the idea.

These writing links needed to be searchable.  It was crazy for writers to have a thousand bookmarked sites—and bookmarks for information that they don’t currently even need."

I don't know about you, but just as Elizabeth says in that interview, I've collected hundreds of bookmarked posts. So I was pretty chuffed (do you use that word in the US?) to find this amazing resource, and I thought I would share it with you. Happy researching!

How about you: Do you know about the Writer's Knowledge Base? Do you use it? Are there any other writing resources you know of/use regularly that you'd like to share with us all?

I'm being interviewed...

I'm braving Cally Jackson's hot seat today, so pop over and wish me luck. Anybody have a fire extinguisher?

Also, did you read my interviews on platform-building over at Deana Barnhart's blog recently? Make sure you check out Part 1 and Part 2.

Conquering writer's block (one paragraph at a time and with an Arthur Boyd painting as inspiration)

I hit a wall in my revisions the week before last. Hard. Critiques I'd received suggested I needed to rewrite a large part of my manuscript AND completely re-characterize one my MCs. A slight blow, when I was hoping to start querying this month (well, a huge blow actually!).

Anyway, once I got over that and accepted this was what I needed to do, I sat down and opened a new document. But. Try as I might, I couldn't make the words come. I sat and stared at my computer screen, tried plotting the new Part, downloaded Scrivener (and procrastinated while I learnt how to use it), drank too much tea, started wasting my time on YouTube, ate too much chocolate, anything except writing really.

I suspect many of you have been in that situation yourself. Not a nice place to be, especially when you've a deadline breathing down your neck, even if it's only a self-imposed one like mine.

(Painting by Arthur Boyd hanging at Parliament House, Canberra )

I did (mildly) stress for a while, but a couple of days later I got over my writers' block, all because of three things that happened in the same day:

1. I took a break from my writing (a proper full-day break, not just an hour away from the screen);
2. I took my relatives sightseeing in my city and saw a painting I fell in love with (Actually, I decided it would provide the color scheme for my dream house, and I spent a lot of time planning how I could buy a large print of the painting, and use this, this, and this color in the living room, this in the kitchen, etc etc); 
3. I started thinking about my beginning scene of the Part in a new way. 

I'd been stuck on the big-picture issues, you see, and had so many different things running in my head I couldn't find any space just to start writing. Plus I was stressing about how big the task was, how I'd never get it finished, what if it was as "bad" as the first attempt, etc etc.

Finally, after my day of inspiration (that same night, actually!), I managed to shove my negative and stressful thoughts aside and think only about the first sentence and the first paragraph. Where were my main characters? What were they doing? How could I ground my reader in the scene before I even dived into dialogue/action/etc. Those were the questions I asked myself. And I told myself just to sit down and write one paragraph to describe and set up the scene. Just one paragraph.

Before I knew it, my words were flowing again, and I couldn't wait to dive into my re-write. Using Scrivener, which I've fallen in love with as well by the way (I might do a separate post on that one day, to share my thoughts) :D

And I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

How about you: Do you get writer's block very often? How do you get yourself out of it? Do you find looking at a scene a different way helps you to write it? What do you think about basing the color-scheme of your house on a painting? :D

Stories for Sendai - Guest Post by J.C. Martin

Today I'm hosting J.C. Martin of J.C. Martin, Fighter, Writer. As you may know, during the Japan Disaster a couple of friends and I organized and ran Write Hope, an online charity auction of all things kidlit. At the same time, J.C. came up with the wonderful idea of putting together an anthology of stories, with the intention of selling these and raising money for the people of Japan. She's been hard at work ever since on STORIES FOR SENDAI.

In her words,

Stories for Sendai is a collection of 20 uplifting and inspirational short stories and poems about the strength of the human spirit. All proceeds from sales will be donated to charity in aid of victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Take it away J.C.

***

Thank you, Rach, for hosting today’s leg of the blog tour!

Seeing as Stories for Sendai is a charity anthology dedicated to the brave people of Japan, I thought I’d write a post about one of the country’s most popular forms of literature: the haiku.

In its original form, the Japanese haiku, despite its apparent simplicity, has to contain several elements: apart from the syllabic content that we are familiar with, a Japanese haiku should also contain:

• A season word intrinsically associated with a certain season, that will immediately give the reader a sense of time and place.

• An ‘aha’ moment, when the haiku invokes a sudden and profound realisation in the reader.

• A sense of connectedness to nature. Haikus are naturalistic poems that connect the reader to the natural world. Any poems in the haiku form that does not refer to nature are called senryus.

• A sense of sabi, or solitude.

A contemporary haiku in English does not strictly follow any of these rules. In fact, some English haikus do not even conform to the traditional 5-7-5 syllable rule. A total of 13-17 syllables is generally accepted.

Now I’m no poet, but here’s a haiku I attempted:

Stories for Sendai,
Only seven ninety-nine,
Buy and help Japan!

Do you write haikus? Feel free to share your favourites!

And don’t forget, Stories for Sendai is on sale now at these links:

Amazon US:

Amazon US (Kindle):

Amazon UK (Kindle):

CreateSpace eStore:

And send a copy of your receipt to storiesforsendai (at) ymail (dot) com, and you’ll be entered in a draw to win cool prizes, like gift vouchers, books, and critiques! One entry per purchase, ends July 15th!

***

Thanks for the intriguing info on haikus J.C. I didn't actually know any of that (beyond the syllable requirement)! Everyone, don't forget to buy your copy of Stories for Sendai to help support the people of Japan. And it would make a great gift as well!

Finding your writing niche

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Finding my writing niche has been an important step in my writing journey, and it’s taken me a number of years and “drawered” manuscripts to do so. Important, because I’ve found I need a niche of my own to focus on and learn all its intricacies, in order for me to become a better writer.

It may change in the future, of course, but for the moment I can’t imagine writing anything other than Young Adult fiction. It feels funny to reason out and explain something I just know instinctively to be the case. But I thought I would give it a go.

I love writing in the teen voice, which is a very different way of viewing the world. I have more success creating 3D characters who are teens rather than adults. In addition, my writing voice (see here for my post on writing voice vs character voice) comes naturally in first person – for me, third person comes out wrong when I write it, too stilted and with no feeling. Nathan Bransford has just written a post on first vs third person if you want to check it out here. And (except when my verbosity gets the better of me) I have a “short and sharp” sentence style, according to my CPs. Both of which lend themselves to YA.

In terms of genre, Horror works best for me. I love to delve into the inner workings of the mind and of human nature, and because of that my stories tend to come out “darker” than usual. I also love writing paranormal elements, the scarier the better. Light and fluffy my fiction ain’t.

Thus, YA Horror.

How about you: Do you think it’s important to have a writing niche? Have you found yours or are you still experimenting? Do you cross over into different genres, and between adult/children’s fiction? Do you think your writing niche will change in the future, and if so, what might make it change?

Are you a tortoise or a hare in your writing (or a strange hybrid of both)?

(Source)

I've realized lately that I may be a hybrid of a tortoise and a hare when it comes to my writing. I'm not sure what it should be called though: a hortoise? a tortare? (though they both have a certain ring to them, *grins*).

Anyway, before I get distracted with names, and thoughts of what a tortare would look like...

I wrote my current WIP, FROM THE OTHER SIDE, in less than 3 months, and probably closer to 2. I pantsed the whole thing, I must admit, something I doubt I'll ever do again. But the words flew off my fingers onto the computer, the characters came to life before my eyes, and my plotline sprang into shape with remarkable ease (even if it did require some heavy shears/clippers/cutting implements/dynamite to prune it afterward).

I was a hare, and proud of it, and I didn't stop once until I'd crossed the finish line. I didn't even stop to rest under that nice shady tree along the way.

Then came revisions!

And I became a tortoise.

(Source)

I've been plodding along in revision hell joy for 9 months now (and I won't draw any comparison to the pregnancy thing *grins*). Not a particularly long time in the scheme of things, but it feels long to me after such a quick first draft turnaround. Especially when I see others (including certain awesome CPs who shall remain nameless) who seem to whiz through writing AND revisions, with a speed and efficiency that leaves me amazed.

I've been thinking through the reasons why my revisions are taking me so long:

• as mentioned above, I pantsed rather than plotted with FTOS, so I've spent a lot of time fixing things, getting the structure of the manuscript right, tweaking the plotline, getting to know the characters, and making sure I'm happy with the way the story reads
• I have a limited number of hours during the day to write/revise, and those hours are eaten into by things like critiquing for my CPs, my Crusades, blogging, reading, and all the "daily life" stuff
• I'm a perfectionist, and I want my manuscript to be the best it can be before I query (there are different schools of thought on this, and I may well do a separate post on this soon)
• I want to give myself my best shot at getting an agent by learning as much about writing as I can before I query
• my health has been very bad the last few months, and unfortunately this has impacted on my revision time (and my time for anything else, for that matter)
• simply, I don't want to rush

I'm not quite chafing at the bit--not yet--and I'm taking comfort from posts such as this one from Mary Kole, which gives great advice about being patient. And I am enjoying my revisions, believe it or not. With querying in sight for me, it's all good in the end. It does make me wonder about the tortare though, and how it is for all of you.

How about you: Are you a tortoise, a hare, or a tortare (or do you prefer hortoise)? What's your experience with revising your manuscript versus writing it. Do you like writing or revising best? What things impact on the time you spend writing/revising?

My one year blogiversary!!!

It's my one year blogiversary today, woot!!! I just wanted to say a huge thanks to everyone who's come with me on this awesome journey - you guys rock!

I can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

Do you take breaks when you're revising?

(Source)

It's a long weekend where I live, and I've decided to take some time off my revisions. A huge step for me, as I've been working on the same document most days for what feels like forever now! And it's hardly taken that much arm-twisting from my critique partner either *grins*.

I guess that's made me wonder, how do you do it? Do you sit down for a solid chunk of time and finish all your revisions in one go? Do you have breaks between each revision-draft of your manuscript (and if so, for how long)? Does the whole revising process work better if you come back to a document fresh from some time at the beach/snow/wherever? Or does taking some time off actually break your train of thought, making it hard to get back into the manuscript when you start?

The same questions apply to drafting too, so drafters feel free to weigh-in :) I'm a huge fan of letting a first draft "rest" before you dive into revisions, but do you take breaks at other times as well?

Beta Match - Are you looking for a critique partner or a beta reader?

It can be hard (and I mean H.A.R.D) to find a critique partner or beta reader (and even harder to find a great one!). Some of you have found critique partners and beta readers through those you know in person, while others have found them in bloggers you met online, through online conferences such as WriteOnCon, through forums such as Verla Kay's Blueboards, Absolute Write, and in other ways. But time and again recently I’ve seen people commenting that they don’t know where to look. So I thought I’d help out (*grins*).

Today I'm running a Beta Match (and don't let the name fool you, it's for critique partners too!). If you’re interested, there are two options:

OPTION ONE: Put your details and what you’re looking for in the comments below, using the following template:

Name: (your name, pen name, or blogging handle)
Email: (your email address OR write "address with Rach" - this option is only if you don't share your email address online. If you want me to pass your email address on to anyone who is interested in becoming your CP or beta reader, you'll also need to send me an email to let me know)
My current WIP: (give a few details)
I'm looking for: (a critique partner or beta reader or both. Plus give info about the critiquing style/focus/etc that you want from a CP/beta reader, and whether you have work ready to be looked at now or are looking for a long-term partnership)
Some info about me: (anything you think a potential CP or beta reader will need to know)

AND/OR

OPTION TWO: Read through other comments in the post to see if someone who’ll suit your needs has commented. Then contact them directly. (If their comment says "address with Rach", email me to ask for their details - please include their original comment in your email so I can work out who you're talking about. If you've left a comment as well, please include that too)

Depending on interest, I might make Beta Match a regular feature of Rach Writes…, so let me know if it has been helpful for you.

Please note: Beta Match isn't only for those who have a piece of work ready to be critiqued right now. It's intended to be a way for people to find critique partners who can help them with their writing/revisions/etc over the long-term. Even if you're after a beta reader, you can still connect with someone now and swap work at a later date :)

Some (useless?) writing trivia to brighten your day

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The only city whose name can be spelled completely with vowels is Aiea, Hawaii.

Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.

The English word with the most consonants in a row is latchstring.

Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan.

(Source)

A H I M O T U V W X Y are the symmetric capital letters in the Roman alphabet. i l o t u v w x are the symmetric lower case letters in the Roman alphabet.

"Rhythm" and "syzygy" are the longest English words without vowels.

'Strengths' is the longest word in the English language with just one vowel.

The longest place-name still in use is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a New Zealand hill.

The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. It is a a pneumoconiosis caused by the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust. The only other word with the same amount of letters is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconioses, its plural.

The second longest word in the Oxford English Dictionary is "floccinaucinihilipilification," which means "the act of estimating as worthless."

The third longest word in the English language is "antidisestablishmenterianism"

The longest word that can be typed using on the right hand is 'lollipop'.

'Skepticisms' is the longest word that can be typed using alternate hands.

One of the longest English words that can be typed using the top row of a typewriter (allowing multiple uses of letters) is 'typewriter.'

When two words are combined to form a single word (e.g., motor + hotel = motel, breakfast + lunch = brunch) the new word is called a "portmanteau."

There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs six times: Indivisibility.

The letters H I O X in the latin alphabet is the only ones that look the same if you turn them upside down or see them from behind.

And a fun question for you: which seven letter word in the English language contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters? (Check out the answer below)

Other stuff:

Check out Deana Barnhart's Gearin' Up to Get an Agent blogfest, which will take place in July. There's heaps of prizes (including a query critique plus resubmit from me) and lots of bloghopping fun to be had!



The answer is "therein": the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, here, ere therein, herein.

Trivia Source

When did you last back-up your blog? (plus directions if you don't know how)

I had a major panic a couple of weeks before The Great Blogger Crash. Everything on my blog went screwy - little bits of computer code appeared, my followers all disappeared, I couldn't open my dashboard - everything you can imagine to give me a headache and a spot of "Oh my God, what if...?" Things were back to normal the next day, thank goodness, and I'd backed-up my blog a few days before so I wouldn't have lost everything, but the whole incident made me squirm. I thought it might be timely to remind you to back-up your blog regularly, and show you how to do it if you don't know already.

As to the reminder part

Um, yes, do it! :D

And the directions...Here's how to save a copy of your blog template, in four easy steps (honest!)

Step One - Click on "Design" at the top right of your blog (or you can go through the Blogger Dashboard instead if you prefer)

Step Two - Click on "Edit HTML"

Step Three - Click on "Download Full Template"

Step Four - Save the file (I usually add the date to the save-name, so I can easily work out which is the lastest download)

And as for saving your entire blog content...Check out Clarissa Draper's post here.

And that's it, eezey-peezy. I've set my calendar to remind me to back-up my blog every two weeks, but you can do it more or less if you prefer, of course. Make sure you save your blog often though - we put so much work into them, and I've heard some horror stories about people who've lost the whole thing. For good!

How about you: Did these directions help you? Do you back-up your blog often (if so, how often)?

Other stuff:

I was interviewed by Deana Barnhart on platform-building last week. Check my two-part interview out here and here.

You'll have seen I've been doing a bit of tinkering with my sidebar and my banner - hope you like :D Also, I finally got my act into gear and joined Networked Blogs - I'm looking forward to catching up with heaps of you there!

Thanks so much to everyone who's given me an award lately! I've popped your names and awards up on my Awards Page *grins*

Oh, and I've changed my blogging schedule to Mondays-only for the next little while, as I dive into my revisions in preparation for querying.

Hope everything's well with you all, and Happy Monday!

Yeti??? The Abominable Snowman Expedition - Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghop

Come and take part in our Choose your own Adventure Bloghop today (Tuesday). Click on the link below the banner and you'll be taken to the start of your awesomely fabulous adventure! Don't let the Yeti get you!

(Click here to start your adventure!)

Stay and Fight

(Don't jump in halfway! Click here to start your adventure)

The shadow looms before you, huge, so huge. The light of the flashlight plays over it yet you can’t make out details. All you have are impressions, half-remembered pictures that appear and vanish in the wink of an instant. Long fur covering its body, white, but tipped with dark flecks. It couldn’t be blood, could it? You swallow. Claws on its outstretched hands, curved inward and at least three inches long. Legs as thick as your whole body.

'This is it. I’m done for now,' you think.

You shine the flashlight higher up and cringe when you see them. Teeth, polished and gleaming, the sort you can imagine wrapped around a human leg or two. Snout. Wild, yellow eyes, with a look deep within them that says, 'I’m hungry for man-flesh.'

You know then, it’s either kill or be killed. So you swing the flashlight and bop the monster—the Yeti?—across the nose.

“Ouch,” the Yeti squeals. Its voice is high-pitched and cracks at the height of the noise.

You blink. This isn’t the sound of an enraged man-killer. But you hit the Yeti again, shoving your flashlight deep into its stomach until you feel its fur tickling your wrist. “Yes,” you shout, triumph speeding through your veins.

The Yeti takes a step back. The light of your flashlight reveals a footprint on the muddy floor of the cave. Human in shape, through three times as big as your own footprint. You rip your eyes away before fear can turn you to stone.

You follow the Yeti and raise your flashlight for another strike. But the Yeti holds out its hand. “Wait. Please,” it begs.

You blink some more. Did it really speak?

Or are you going crazy?

Do you:

Think you're going crazy? 

Talk to it?

Or do you:

Run after all?

Start over?

Beta Match – Are you looking for a critique partner or beta reader? Read on…

(Source)

It can be hard (and I mean H.A.R.D) to find a critique partner or beta reader (and even harder to find a great one!). Some of you have found CPs and beta readers through those you know in person, while others have found them in bloggers you met online, through online conferences such as WriteOnCon, through forums such as Verla Kays Blueboards, Absolute Write, and in other ways. But time and again recently I’ve seen people commenting that they don’t know where to look. So I thought I’d see if I can’t help out (*grins*).

On Monday, June 6th, I’ll be running a Beta Match. If you’re interested, there will be two options:

• Put your details and what you’re looking for in the comments of my Beta Match post (I’ll let you know in that post what's needed) and/or

• Read through other comments in that post to see if someone who’ll suit your needs has also commented, then contact them directly.

I won’t be able to personally match people up (sorry), but if you’re reluctant to share your email address online as I know some of you are, I’m happy for you to leave it with me and I’ll give it out to people who want to contact you for this purpose only.

Depending on interest, I might make Beta Match a regular feature of Rach Writes…, so let me know if it would be helpful for you.

ETA: Beta Match isn't only for those who have a piece of work ready to be critiqued right now. It's intended to be a way for people to find critique partners who can help them with their writing/revisions/etc. Even if you're after a beta reader, you can still connect with someone now and swap work at a later date :)

How about you: Would a Beta Match help you in your hunt for a CP or beta reader? Do you already have a CP? Do you have a CP, but are looking for another (or for beta readers)?

Interview with Bess Weatherby (It's the world, dear)

Today I'm interviewing Bess Weatherby from It's the world, dear. I've been following Bess for ages now and I love reading her blog posts. They're so descriptive and "in the moment" - I always feel like I'm right there with her, wherever she may be.

Take it away Bess!

Question 1 - Tell us about yourself (to make it a little harder, I’ll give you 10 words exactly)

Post-college writer avoiding 9-5 by nannying, novels and New York.

Question 2 - Which genre do you prefer to write in? Would you ever change genres? Children’s or Adult fiction?

I have an unhealthy relationship with Lord of the Rings, so I started out writing fantasy. Two Middle-Grade books and then a YA. I tend toward epic, high-fantasy, but I'm trying to ground my new book closer to home. One day, toward the end of high school, I was sitting in my room, alone in my cloak, looking out at a field of sunflowers. I realized that, as much as I love Tolkien and Lewis and George MacDonald, I'm an American; I'll never be able to write kings or queens without cringing, elves don't live in corn fields and pioneers are simply practical. American epic fantasy isn't really a genre, but that's the genre I'm writing in now.

And the story about the sunflowers isn't true. But everything else is. Scout's honor.

Question 3 - Describe your current WIP. What stage are you at – drafting, revisions, etc?

My new book is the first of a series involving multiple characters. Usually I just write, plot be darned, but this time, knowing how involved the story was, I created a thorough outline first. Working from that, I’m at about 50,000 words on the first book, and am fine-tuning the outlines of the other books, one a month. At this rate, I should have a polished draft with extensive outlines of the sequels by November. That’s the goal, anyway. Then, quite possibly, Book Two during NaNoWMo? We’ll see.

Rach: A great goal! Best of luck with it.

Question 4: Answer these in a sentence:

• I’m happiest when...

I'm with my siblings. I fall smack in the middle of five kids. They're the reason I write. And if any of them read this they will punch me for being corny, but it's true. All my characters have big families. That’s the “Write what you know” part of my writing.

• My biggest quirk is...

I would really prefer to never wear pants.

• I blog because...

The same reason I write: I'm really awkward in person.

• The thing that most annoys me is...

In New York there are many, many things to be annoyed with. I usually channel this annoyance into my blog. Mostly rants about hipsters. Or pigeons. Or people calling me a bad mother because I let the kid I nanny chase pigeons. While he attacks, I yell at them that He is not my child! and Mind your own business!

People in New York never do.

• One thing you’d never guess about me is...

I never wanted to move to New York. In fact, I always wanted to live in a cabin in the woods. As a child I even imagined lying to my children, convincing them that it was the 1800's. Unfortunately, M. Night Shamalyn stole my idea and I realized that I was unlikely to find a guy who would go along with this plan. Also I look really bad in a braid. So from there, with no car, I ended up in a closet in Manhattan. Go figure.

• The writer I’d most like to be (and why) is...

William Faulkner. He would sit on his porch and shoot the breeze with his buddies, drink good whiskey, yell at passersby, then go inside and write books like The Sound and the Fury. Anyone who can drink while writing the most accurate portrayal of a mentally ill person in the history of America has my vote for president. And life-best-led.

• If I knew my books would never be published, I would...

Storm the Flatiron building. Not really. I think I'd actually relax. I might move back to Texas, sit on the porch with my best friends, drink Manhattans, yell at passersby and write books for the important people in my life.

Question 5 - Where would you say you’re at in your writing journey? What still lies ahead of you?

I’ve written three books, so that should mean something impressive, eh? I like saying that. Three novels. Well, three manuscripts. Three doorstops. I used to be ignorantly confident, but the more I write, the more I'm daunted and humbled. There is so much to learn, so I’m concentrating on seeing and capturing. New York is the perfect place to do that; there is so much strangeness and beauty here. With my blog, I’m teaching myself to keep my eyes open, to spin a story from subway rats and debutantes, the way they bump into each other here. That gives me richer fodder for my books. It’s seeing what’s already in the world. That’s all writing is really: making sense of things.

I can remember so clearly the first time I closed my eyes against that computer-screen headache and thought Writing is, like, hard. But that's part of the process. If it wasn't hard, the result wouldn't be any good, and if I didn't like it, I wouldn't do it. For now, I see no other way to live my life.

Rach: Amen

Question 6 - Lastly but not least, chocolate or cupcakes?

Cupcakes. With coffee. For breakfast.

Rach: Ooh, what's not to love!

It was lovely learning more about you Bess! If you're not already following her, pop on over to It's the world, dear and say hi!




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Second Writers' Platform-Building Crusade Wrap-up

I'm really, really sad to see the end of my Second Crusade. I've had a wonderful time meeting so many new people, some who joined me from my First Crusade and others I'd never met before. I was blown away by the interest shown in this Crusade, and I know we would have had FAR more than the 217 Crusaders if I hadn't closed the list!

The Crusader Challenges were awesome fun, and I couldn't believe the quality of the entries. The flash-fiction 100-word Challenge with the beginning, "The goldfish bowl teetered" was my favorite I think, just from the amazing range of topics covered and the level of creativity you all showed. It was followed (very) closely by the "Show Not Tell" Challenge, which combined with Lee's A-Z Challenge for the letter "S". I had such a great time judging the Crusader Challenges, and thanks to everyone who volunteered to help me with the judging. Thanks also to Lynnette Labelle and C.A. Marshall for donating the fantastic prizes!

I've learned a lot this Crusade, and I'll be doing some things differently next time:

• numbers have grown to the point where it's no longer possible for all Crusaders to follow each other. A huge thanks to all those Crusaders who did make the effort during the Second Crusade, I know so many of you found it worth it even though it did take a lot of time. In future Crusades, I'll just be asking Crusaders to follow those within their own groups, which should make things a lot easier all round. What it won't do is give everyone that huge increase in followers, though I know that won't matter to those who join for the networking opportunities the Crusade gives.
• I won't be able to personally assign Crusader Groups anymore, given the numbers I'm expecting for the Third Crusade. I'm planning to have linky-links, where people can add themselves to the Group(s) they want to join. This will let everyone get to know their Groups much sooner, and make things a little easier for me *grins*.
• I'll be announcing the dates of the Crusader Challenges beforehand, so people can pop them in their calendars ahead of time.
• I'll be keeping the Twitter #amcrusading hashtag for people to chat all things Crusade-related during the Third Crusade. I'll also re-start my weekly Crusader Notice-Board. Lynnette Labelle's idea about the Yahoo Group was awesome, so we'll set up a forum for Crusaders for all Crusades going forward. And Chris Kelworth had the fantastic idea to set up a Critiquing Crusaders opportunity, which we'll make sure to carry forward in future Crusades as well.

I really hope you'll join me for my Third Crusade. It'll run from August 22nd to October 31st - make sure you join up as soon as possible after August 22nd, 'cause I'll be closing the List of Crusaders on August 31st.

And keep an eye out for our Choose Your Own Adventure Bloghop, featuring the Group 9 Crusaders from the Second Crusade - it begins on May 17 at Kerri's blog (just click on the badge in my sidebar to take you there).

I'd love to hear your thoughts: Did you enjoy the Crusade? What did you get out of it? Any suggestions for improvement, noting the comments I've made above? Are you coming on board my Third Crusade?



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Taking pride in ourselves (one of those warm and fuzzy posts!) and my thoughts on the A-Z Challenge

Our lives are so busy, I think we sometimes forget to spend a little time taking pride in ourselves and in those around us. With a new month beginning (Happy May everyone!) I thought I'd share with you some of the things I'm proud of this week.

• I'm proud of my eleven-month-old daughter, who took her first steps the other day.

• I'm proud of myself for (successfully) rewriting a segment of html code after the codewriter made a number of mistakes. Six months ago I would have panicked and simply done without the blog changes I needed to make.

• I'm proud of myself for completing the A-Z Challenge. A post a day (almost) - not an easy task to undertake. Now I just need to catch up with all you lovely people who left comments (*grins*).

• I'm proud of my critique partner, who took me to task for a less-than-satisfactory rewrite of my query letter. I'm also proud of myself, for taking what she said on board and diving back into the query water to swim in a whole new direction.

How about you: What are you proud of this week?

My thoughts on the A-Z Challenge:

I really enjoyed taking part in the Challenge, and met so many fantabulous people. I'll be stalking many of them regularly from now on *grins*! I can definitely see the advantage of planning and preparing ahead. I decided to go with a themed A-Z series for this Challenge (My A-Z of Writing Tips), and will be doing the same next year - much easier to collect my thoughts when I have an overarching topic already planned.

A suggestion: I wonder if it might be possible to have different linky-lists depending on what type of blog you have. Then we can connect with people we want to meet the most (writers in my case), and photographers (for example) can connect with other photographers. Just a thought :)

How about you: What was your Challenge experience?



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